Dangerous Without You
by Tempest S
Summary: After Sarah's rejection, Jareth mysteriously disappears. At first his disappearance causes little concern but as the Labyrinth undergoes a frightening change, Sarah may be the only hope of finding Jareth and returning the Labyrinth to normal.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Labyrinth or any of its characters. Wish I owned Jareth though.

* * *

The owl watched through the window as the girl and the strange assortment of creatures around her held a celebration in honor of her unraveling the labyrinth and defeating its feared master. The dwarf, the yeti, the fox and its long-haired steed were there along with those no style fireys' and his own goblins. Even two little blue worms were there. But he wasn't invited. Apparently she would need all of them at times during her life but he was un-needed and unwanted.

_Really! Who was the one who granted her wish? Who was the one who shared one of her dreams with her? Who even tried to help her out of the labyrinth!? Does she think I do this for everyone? Ungrateful girl! I have better things to do then sit here and watch this childishness._

With a quick shake of its head to settle its ruffled feathers, the owl launched itself off of its perch and spread silent wings that carried it far above the houses below. As the moon was obscured behind a thick cloud an even greater darkness enveloped the owl. When the darkness cleared, the landscape held no resemblance to the world Above. Dry and brown earth stretched out until it reached a large wall covered with vines. Inside the wall stretched a maze of twists and turns that seemed to change if you looked away. In the center of the maze stood a huge and forbidding castle. The owl flew through one of the castle windows and changed in mid-flight. Wings became arms, feathers turned into clothes and as talons became boots and lightly touched the ground, a cape swirled around long legs encased in a white pair of tight pants that left little to the imagination. Where an owl had flown, a man now quickly strode through the hall. Long blond hair was cut so that the shorter hair on top made a halo around his head while the longer hair on bottom grew past lean shoulders. A tight fitting white shirt with a lacy frill down the front was accented by a tight leather black jacket cut in a style reminiscent of the age of kings and queens.

_Who would choose those creatures over me? Certainly not a mature adult. I should have expected as much from childish Sarah. She never did do what I expected her to do. I mean really! She'd rather have that **HOGHEAD** over me?! I am the king of the goblins! Ruler of the Labyrinth! Master of illusions! And what's he? A short, twisted, ugly coward of a dwarf! Is she blind? She should feel honored that I gave her even a minute of my time. Most who try to solve the labyrinth never even see me and I appeared to her not once, not twice, not even three times but four! I will never understand her. I offered her **everything** and she turned it down. What more could she have wanted?_

Lost in thought, Jareth turned through a doorway that led to the great hall of the castle. The normally bustling and loud room was strangely quiet and lonesome without the goblins that usually filled the room. Swirling his cape off his shoulders, the goblin king carelessly tossed it aside where it disappeared before it could hit the ground. Pacing to his crescent shaped ivory colored throne, he dropped bonelessly onto the seat and turned sideways so that his back was against one arm rest while his legs hung over the other. Bringing one hand to his mouth, he rested his chin against his palm as he considered all that had happened.

_What did I do wrong? I don't understand. Why am I not good enough for her? I am far superior to a mortal man in looks. I have power beyond imagination. I can fulfill her every dream so why does she reject me? I have style, finesse, a **castle**! Didn't she always enjoy pretending to be a princess? I would make her a queen! What sane woman wouldn't want to be my queen? Goblins at her beck and call, a life of luxury, never having to babysit. What should I have done differently? Should I even be the one who should have done something differently? Shouldn't she be the one who should have done something differently? Sarah…_

* * *

Back Aboveground the party was starting to wind down as the goblins and creatures of Underground started returning to their own world. All that remained was Sarah and her dear friends who had helped her on her journey to get her brother back. Sir Didymus was lecturing Ambrosius on the proper way for a knight's steed to behave in battle while Ludo was quickly working his way through a bag of chips Sarah had snuck up after her dad and step-mother had went to bed. The yeti's eyes closed in bliss each time he put another chip in his mouth.

"Ludo like!" he said.

Sarah couldn't help but laugh and smile affectionately at her gentle friend. Although he was the fiercest looking of the group, he was by far the sweetest. Reaching over she lovingly stroked his soft cheek.

"I'm glad you like them, Ludo. You can have as many as your want" she told him.

"Sarah" someone behind her said. Turning, she found Hoggle looking up at her. "It's time for us to go, Sarah. But if you ever need us…." he trailed off.

"I know. Thanks Hoggle. For everything."

"Aww. It weren't nothing, Sarah," he said blushing.

"Yes it was. I know you were afraid. You came back in spite of that. That was the bravest thing anyone could do. You're a real friend, Hoggle" Sarah said fondly.

"Aww" he turned even redder as he scuffed his foot across the floor.

"My Lady" she heard beside her. Sir Didymus bowed from his perch upon Ambrosius' back. "My lady, it has been an honor to serve you. I could not have hoped for a worthier quest or a lovelier maiden to serve. Should you ever require the aid of a knight again, dear lady, myself and Ambrosius are always ready to assist you in any way we can."

"Thank you, Sir Didymus. There isn't a knight I would rather have by my side then you," she said smothering a laugh as the small fox preened. After giving him a hug and a pat for Ambrosius, she watched as the two disappeared into her mirror.

She next turned to her largest companion.

"Ludo sad" he said with his lips drooping down. "Ludo miss Sarah."

"Oh Ludo. It's alright. You'll see me again. How could I stand not seeing you again? We'll be together before you know it" she replied as her eyes started tearing up. Walking over to the huge beast, she wrapped her arms as far around him as she could and gave him a big huge. "Now look after Sir Didymus for me. You know how he charges into things so recklessly."

"Ludo will" was all he said as he returned her huge gently. With tears in his big eyes, he slowly lumbered to her mirror and squeezed his large body through. It was amazing how something so big could pass through a mirror less then half its size.

All that remained was Hoggle. He stared down at his feet awkwardly and fidgeted from foot to foot. He'd never had a friend before so he wasn't sure how to say goodbye.

_Not that I've been a very good friend, _he thought_. I mighta helped out at the end but before that I was just looking after meself. I don't know how Sarah could forgive me. But I'm glad she did. It's kinda nice having friends. Even Jareth isn't so scary if I have friends. Jareth. I wonder what he's gonna do ta me when I get back. Probably dump me in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Not that I don't think I deserve it. Just not for disobeying Jareth. At least Didymus will still be my friend if I do get dunked. Ludo and Sarah wont be able to stand the smell. It was worth it though. I'll never think it wasn't._

"You wont forget me will you Sarah?" he hesitantly asked.

"Of course not! I could never forget you, Hoggle," she said surprised. "We'll be friends forever."

"Forever?"

"Forever and ever!" she smiled.

"Well I guess I better be goin," he said as a warm feeling blossomed in his chest. "I'll see you around, Sarah. Please be careful what you wish from now on. I've got other things to do then keep rescuing you" he said with fake gruffness.

"See you around, Hogwarts" Sarah said with a sly smile. She leaned over to give him a hug. "Stay away from the Bog."

Hoggle stifled a smile. "Oh I have no intention of going anywhere near that place!" he replied with a shudder. "I already got to take a bath just to get off the stench that clung to me from only crossing over that horrid place. I have another month before I usually take a bath" Sigh. "That's what I get for helping someone. No good deed goes unpunished. Especially in the Labyrinth" he muttered as he climbed into the mirror.

Sarah wrinkled her nose at the thought of going a month without a bath. Speaking of a bath, she lifted her arm and smelled her shirt. Ugh! she coughed. "Hoggle's not the only one who needs a bath. I'll have to throw these clothes away.

It took washing her hair three times and scrubbing herself red to finally get the smell off. Sarah stuffed her clothes into a bag and tied the end tight so that the smell wouldn't escape. It wouldn't be good to have Karen asking questions. She'd never believe me if I told her. She'd just think I was lying to her and cause another argument, she thought as she combed her wet hair.

Sarah sighed as she crawled into bed. She was exhausted after her long day. The labyrinth tired her out more then she thought. Snuggling into the covers, she went over all that had happened to her that day. Wishing Toby away, her first encounter with Jareth, meeting Hoggle and the others. The dance she shared with… She pushed that thought away. Facing the goblin army, the Escher room, the last time she saw the goblin king in his human form. There was something about his face that last time. Something she felt like she should have seen but didn't. It nagged at the back of her mind but she was too tired to pursue it further. I'll worry about it tomorrow was her last thought as she drifted off to sleep.

She didn't know that she would forget all about it. Or that it might come back to haunt her some day. If only she had put more thought into it sooner. It all could have been avoided if she hadn't been so sleepy.


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah sighed as she bent and tried to unlock her apartment door without spilling either of the bags of groceries she held in both arms. Giving the key a quick jerk that spilled nearly a third the groceries out of the bag in her right hand, she pushed open the door with a frustrated huff and dropped the bags with a heavy thump on her small kitchen table. Rubbing her temples to try to prevent the headache she had felt trying to form all day, she glared at the offending groceries that now littered the doorway and hall in front of her apartment.

_Why did I ever look forward to living alone when I was younger? Back then I didn't even have to go grocery shopping unless I went with Karen. I couldn't even imagine what a hassle it is to cart groceries from the car, up three flights of stairs, and unlock my door without dropping anything._

Stooping to collect the scattered groceries, Sarah thought about all that had changed over the years. Toby was now eight, her relationship with Karen was better even though their relationship was still rather chilly and tense, she had graduated college with a degree in theater and was now living on her own and supporting herself with the money she made from working in one of the local theatres. Although she wasn't famous like her mother, she liked to think she had a loyal following in some of the locals. The theater might be small but she liked the people she worked with and she was able to live her dream. That was better then most people.

Really the only thing missing in her life was a significant other and even that wasn't a completely lost hope. It's not like she didn't go out on dates or that she never met anyone who interested her. It was just that after the first date it became apparent that the interest didn't go beyond friendship. There was never anything wrong with the guys, there just wasn't a spark for her.

Thinking of guys made her think of her lousy day. First the leading man who played opposite her in their next play had fallen sick and they were having to scramble to replace him. After auditioning several terrible hopefuls who thought that overacting would get them the part, she left the theater to find she had a flat tire.

After screaming under her breathe and kicking the flat tire, she had to call one of the male theater members over to help her change the tire and had to listen to him going on and on about how great he is and how he should replace the sick male lead and then he even had the nerve to ask her out when she obviously wasn't interested and of course even if she was, it wasn't appropriate to ask her out when he was trying out for the lead role and she would have a hand in deciding who would get the part. The whole reason he probably asked her out was because he thought it would help him get the part if he was seeing the lead actress.

That wasn't even the end of her bad day. Then she came home to discover she had nothing to fix for dinner so a trip to the store was required if she was going to eat anything tonight. While in the store she had a display of caned peaches fall on her, her foot run over by a soccer mom's cart, and she slipped on the wet floor someone had just mopped. Red with embarrassment, she got up to discover her pants now had a noticeable wet spot on the seat of them. Ready to cry in frustration, Sarah tied her jacket around her waist to hide the spot as best she could and quickly got enough groceries to last for a few days.

But it didn't end there. On the way home she got a ticket for an expired license plate sticker. She didn't think it expired for another month. At her apartment complex, the only parking spot available was the one farthest from the door.

_Really, is anything going to go my way today?_ she thought. After dropping her groceries, she knew the answer. _Today has to be the worst day of my life. Even worse than when Toby was stolen by the_….

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth tightened into a frown as a suspicious thought crept into her mind at the memory. The only day that even came close to today was on the day she met the Goblin King. Peaches, getting run over by metal vehicles, falling. What were the odds that it was just a coincidence? She wondered what the Goblin King had been up to since she defeated him. Was he causing these problems? She hadn't talked to her friends in a while. Perhaps it was time to call them again and have a chat.

Quickly gathering the rest of the fallen groceries, she shoved them all onto the table and slammed the apartment door shut. Striding to her room, she walked over to the antique full length mirror she had bought when she moved out of the house. It didn't have any fancy designs on it or anything. It just had a plain mahogany frame but its size made it easier for Ludo to squeeze in and out of it then her old vanity mirror.

Looking into the mirror she called to her friends. "Ludo. Sir Didymus. Hoggle" she called and waited. And waited. And waited but none of them appeared in her mirror as they normally would when she called.

_Where are they? They always come when I call. Jareth wouldn't do anything to them, would he? What am I thinking, of course he would! He'd throw them in the oubliette just to keep them from helping me. This just proves that he's behind my bad day! _she thought furiously even as a small voice in her mind asked why he would do something to them **now** when he hadn't even punished them for helping her.

Spinning on her heel, she was just about to go back into her kitchen and think of a way she could help them and get Jareth to stop messing with her when from behind her she heard a voice call her name hesitantly.

"Sarah."

Whirling around she saw Hoggle in her mirror looking at her uncertainly. He seemed to be trying to smile at her but finding it hard to make the right face.

"Hello Sarah" he said when she just stood there looking at him dumbfounded. Glancing nervously behind him he asked "You called?"

Shaking off her stupor, she walked back to the mirror and looked over her friend for some sign that something wasn't right. She didn't see anything wrong with him but she knew that something wasn't right. Hoggle wasn't acting his usual self.

"How have you been, Hoggle?" she asked.

"Oh good, good. Everything's good" was the quick reply.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she said "I know you're lying. You haven't improved since the last time I was in the labyrinth. You couldn't lie then and you can't lie now. Now spill it. What's wrong?"

"Nothing" he said in an obviously fake happy voice. "Why would anything be wrong?"

"Maybe because you're ruled by a spoiled tyrant who's set on ruining my life and since my friends are a large part of my life, that means ruining their lives as well. What's Jareth done now? Where's Ludo and Sir Didymus? Why's that bastard trying to ruin my life?" she demanded.

Hoggle sighed as he glanced down. "Shoulda know it weren't no use lying to you. Sir Didymus is at the Bog as usual and I don' know where Ludo is. Haven't seen him for a while."

"Aha!" she yelled. "That proves that Jareth's behind this"

"Behind what?" he asked in confusion.

"Behind the horrible day I've had. I've had peaches fall on me, I was nearly run over, and I fell. Sounds like another day I remember."

Giving a tired sigh, Hoggle said "Sarah, as much as it seems to point to Jareth, I seriously doubt he had anything to do with it."

"Why couldn't he have anything to do with it? Wouldn't that be exactly his style? Wait until I'm not expecting it and then strike!" she demanded.

"No, not really. Jareth isn't one for not revealing himself when he does something. He likes dramatics. Besides…" he trailed off.

"Besides what?"

Looking at his feet and shuffling them nervously, all he said was "Nothin."

"It's not nothing. You seem pretty sure it's not Jareth and you're acting awfully suspicious. There's obviously something you don't want to tell me."

"Just let it go, Sarah. Please?" he asked.

"No! Tell me right now! What's going on?" she demanded. "Why can't it be Jareth and what has you so nervous? Tell me, Hoggle!"

Feeling cornered he burst out, "Because no one's seen Jareth for a while!"

"No one….But he's the king. How can no one see him?"

"He went to his room one night and no one's seen him since" he said shrugging.

"So what's happening to the Labyrinth with him gone?"

"Eh…the Labyrinth. Well…." he stalled.

"Hoggle…" she said warningly.

"The Labyrinth…changed" he said searching for the right words.

"So? It was always changing."

"Not changing like this. You know how it used to move?" he asked.

"I remember" she said darkly.

"Well it don't no more. In fact, nothing in the Labyrinth really moves anymore."

"What do you mean nothing moves? How can nothing move? The Labyrinth is full of creatures. It's pretty much alive itself. "

"They still move…some. They still breathe and turn over from time to time."

"Hold on, hold on. You're not making any sense, Hoggle. Explain" said a confused Sarah.

"After Jareth disappeared everything was fine for a while. Oh the goblins were running amuck in the real world a bit more but other than that nothing changed. The goblins aren't very smart so they pretty much follow the same routine each day here in the Labyrinth. Then one day the Labyrinth stopped moving. That terrified the goblins. The Labyrinth **always** moved. After that, a strange fog appeared in the Labyrinth. It seemed to move about with a mind of it's own. Everything it touched just…stopped. They just went to sleep. No one could wake them up no matter what they did. They tried banging pots, throwing water on them, even dropping some in the Bog but even **that** didn't wake them up. The fog never grew any bigger but it didn't need to. It never went away either. It just moved from place to place. No one could stop it. Nearly the whole Labyrinth's asleep. I haven't seen Ludo but I'd say he's asleep somewhere like Didymus is at the Bog. That's why it took a while for me to come when you called. I had to find a way around that blasted fog" he finished, glancing up to see how Sarah was taking it.

By the time he was finished, Sarah was speechless. She'd known something was up, she just hadn't guessed what or that it involved the whole Labyrinth. With that explanation it did seem that Jareth wasn't behind her bad day.

"Could Jareth stop it if he was there?" she asked.

Hoggle considered the question. "Maybe. Probably. You have to understand, Sarah, nothing like this has ever happened in the Labyrinth. No one's ever really seen the extent of Jareth's powers. He could probably move the whole Labyrinth if he wanted."

"Then I guess there's only one choice"

"There is" Hoggle worriedly asked.

"Yes, there is" she said firmly. "We have to find Jareth and make him fix the Labyrinth."

"I was afraid you were going to say that. We don't even know where to begin looking for him."

"There has to be someone, somewhere in the Labyrinth who knows or has an idea of where he might be."

"But Sarah, everyone in the Labyrinth's asleep."

"You're not" she pointed out. "That means there's a good chance that there are other people there who haven't fallen asleep yet."

"You're forgetting something else too."

"Oh really? What?" she asked with a puzzled tilt of her head.

"Me! I'm a coward and what's going on in the Labyrinth scares me!"

"You wouldn't leave me to find my own way through the Labyrinth with that fog around, all by myself, would you, Hoggle?" she asked making a sad face at him.

"Oooh!" he groaned throwing his arms up in defeat. "Not the face! Alright, fine! I'll help you."

"Thanks, Hoggle. I knew you wouldn't let me down" Sarah said as she smiled down at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry and cross through before that fog shows up" he grumpily said as his hand reached out of the mirror towards Sarah.

Taking his hand, Sarah felt the rough leathery feeling of his skin. Looking down where there hands joined, she noticed that he still wore the bracelet she had given him. Smiling at the fond memory, she allowed Hoggle to pull her through the mirror and into a world she thought she would never visit again, especially willingly.


	3. Chapter 3

Flashback

_Thoughts_

**Emphasis**

* * *

Sarah opened her eyes to a world of browns and tans. Dirt crunched under her feet as she turned in a circle to take in her new surroundings. The light brown dirt stretched out, broken only by dead looking grass and shrubs here and there, until it was interrupted by a large, vine covered wall. A small pond, covered with a thin layer of algae, lay a few feet from the wall.

A grin broke across Sarah's face as she looked at the pond. She could still picture Hoggle standing there with his back to her as he took care of some business. She remembered his embarrassed response when she interrupted him.

"Excuse me" a young Sarah said.

"Oh! Excuse me!" said a hurried Hoggle as he zips his pants. Turning around and looking at her, his voice took on a disregarding tone as he said, "Oh. It's you." His attitude had certainly changed once he saw who it was.

Turning to the star of her memory, she saw Hoggle looking at her expectantly.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well what?"

"Notice anything different?"

Taking a slower look around, she tried to pinpoint something that had changed from her memory. Noticing how still it was, she looked toward the wall, expecting to see little creatures flying around. The air seemed to be stuck in her lungs as she noticed one change.

Nothing moved. Not a single flutter of wings. It was as if the fairies had never existed.

"Where are the fairies?" she asked.

"Noticed, did ya? They're still here, unfortunately."

"Where?"

Hoggle sighed resignation. "Come take a look" he said, leading her over to one of the vines that covered the wall.

Nestled among a few of the leaves that dotted the plant, a small fairy slept, unaware of their presence. It looked so innocent lying there. Not at all like it would bite you for trying to help it.

"They're all like that?" Sarah questioned.

"Do you see any flying around?" was the reply. "Considering how many of the little pests there are, it's amazing that the fog got em all. You spray one and two more pop up in its place. It was a never ending job."

"That's not very nice, Hoggle."

"Well fairies aren't very nice. You should remember. They bite pretty hard for their small size."

Stepping back from the wall, Sarah searched for the door she remembered had appeared to let her in. Not seeing it, she walked farther down but she saw nothing except blank wall covered with vines. She knew the door was around here somewhere.

Returning to where Hoggle stood, she put her hands on her hips and looked at the wall in frustration.

"Where's the door?"

"Do you remember how I said the Labyrinth stopped moving?"

"Yes."

"That means the door stopped moving too. Since the Labyrinth no longer moves, the door's stuck somewhere along the wall. You have to go to it instead of it coming to you like it used to. The Labyrinth's a lot more trouble now then it used to be" was his explanation.

'So we have to find the door before we can even enter the Labyrinth?"

"Right."

"Are you sure this isn't a scheme of Jareth's ? Cause this seems like something he would do."

"While I wouldn't put it past him not to do something like this to those who run the Labyrinth, Jareth has nothing to do with this."

Sarah kept her disbelief to herself on that matter. She could just imagine him lounging somewhere, gazing into one of his crystals with a smirk on his face as he watches them look for the door.

"Lead on. The sooner we find the door, the sooner we can find out what's causing the fog and things can return to normal."

"And the sooner I can go back to my moderately safe life" grumbled Hoggle.

Smiling at Hoggle's fake griping, Sarah continued walking with him along one side of the wall, keeping a sharp eye out for the door that would let them into the Labyrinth. Just how big was the outside of the Labyrinth? It hadn't looked that far to the center but then Sarah knew that things were never as they appeared in the Underground.

Hoping to pass the time as the door continued to elude them, Sarah started asking Hoggle about the Labyrinth. Even though she'd been through it once, she hadn't learned much about the Labyrinth itself or the creatures that lived in it. Toby had been her concern and she had been hard pressed to get to him in time.

"What's a dwarf doing in the Goblin Kingdom?"

Hoggle paused and gave Sarah a sharp look. "Making a living. Unlike others of my race, I'm not much of a craftsman. I didn't fit in in the Dwarf Kingdom and I couldn't make a living for myself there. So I came to the Goblin Kingdom and Jareth gave me a job. I keep the number of fairies around the wall down as bests I can. Or I did. Now that they're all asleep, I just try to keep ahead of that fog. Can we change the subject now? It's a rather touchy subject."

"I'm sorry, Hoggle. I didn't know" a contrite Sarah said.

"Well now ya do so drop it."

The two of them walked in silence for a few minutes as Sarah tried to think of something else to talk about. Something that wouldn't hurt Hoggle anymore then she unintentionally had. There had to be something. She had it!

"Why's Ludo and Sir Didymus here?"

"How should I know?" was the snarky reply.

_This was going to be a pleasant journey_ Sarah thought 's not like she meant to bring up a sore subject. She'd had no idea that Hoggle didn't fit in with other dwarves.

"What about the Labyrinth? Where did it come from?" she asked in desperation. Surely that was a safe subject that he could talk about.

"Jareth made it. I don't know how or why. He just did" was his short answer.

"Come on, Hoggle. I said I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. Can you please talk to me?"

Hoggle sighed and gave up his fight to keep his anger. It was much easier for him to be angry then it was for him to be nice but he could never stay mad at Sarah. Even when she had stolen his jewels, he had still forgiven her. There was just something about her that mad it impossible not to forgive her.

"As far as I know, Jareth is the only one who could tell you how he made the Labyrinth or even why he created it in the first place. It's not like anyone's likely to invade the Goblin Kingdom. Who would want it in the first place? Goblins aren't the smartest creatures nor are they very talented. There's nothin much here that would interest someone besides isolation."

"Well how did Jareth become the Goblin King? He's not a goblin, is he?"

"Who knows what Jareth is and as for how he became the Goblin King, again I don't know. I wasn't around back then. Ask him yourself. Where is that blasted door?" Hoggle asked in aggravation.

"Hopefully it's not too much farther. Why would I want to talk to him at all? He's a spoiled, lying, vicious, cheating tyrant who doesn't have a single good point as far as I can see" Sarah hotly said.

Hoggle laughed at her tirade. "Jareth is some of those things, that's for sure, but even he's not **that **bad."

"Oh no? What about all the things he did to me?"

"And what did he do?" Hoggle asked.

"He stole Toby first of all!" Sarah replied in astonishment that Hoggle didn't seem to remember that fact. It was the whole reason she had to go through the Labyrinth to begin with.

"After you wished for him to be taken away by the goblins. Jareth only takes those who are wished away. It's not like he came and took him with no warning."

"He put me in the oubliette!"

"You put yourself in the oubliette. The helping hands asked which way you wanted to go. You could have said up. It's your own fault you ended up there."

"Why are you defending him?! I thought you didn't like Jareth" Sarah asked in shocked confusion.

"I don't particularly like him but he is my king so I do owe him **some **loyalty. And he's a lot better than he could be."

"He took away four of the hours I had to rescue Toby! He chased us with the cleaners! How is that better than he could be?!"

"Huh! After what you said to him, I'm not surprised" was Hoggle answer.

"What do you mean after what I said to him? All I said was that the Labyrinth was a piece of cake. What's so bad about that?"

"Jareth created the Labyrinth. He's very proud of it. No one's beaten it before. And then a slip of a girl like you were comes and says it's a piece of cake! Of course that made him angry. Jareth does have a temper though he tries to control it. He's also very proud. You hurt his pride."

Sarah mulled over that for a bit. Everything Hoggle was saying made sense. _Damn it!_

"And the cheating";

"What cheating?"

"The peach he had you give me."

"That wasn't cheating, Sarah. Of course Jareth was going to try to distract you. You should have expected that."

"And what about the lying?"

"When exactly did Jareth lie to you?" he asked.

"When…When…." she tried to come up with an answer and found she couldn't think of one time that he had. That was strange. All the things he did to her and he hadn't lied once.

"Jareth can be vicious and cruel. He is spoiled and a tyrant but what do you expect? He's the **Goblin King**! Royalty are often spoiled and the goblins expect and like some cruelty. How would he keep them in line if he wasn't vicious at times? Do you know what the goblins would do if they were given enough time on their own? They'd destroy the Underground! One thing about Jareth though is that he never lies. Don't ask me why but that's just the way he is."

"I don't understand you, Hoggle. How can you defend him after he almost dropped you in the Bog of Eternal Stench? After threatening you?" Sarah asked in puzzlement.

"I'm actually fine with Jareth being my king. I may not like him as a person but as a king, he's a pretty good one. I just want you to understand, Sarah. He's not as bad as you've always imagined. He has a mean streak in him when he's mad but he keeps the Goblin Kingdom runnin, he only lets the goblins do enough to have fun but not destroy everything, and he can be generous once in a few hundred years" Hoggle tried to explain.

"Generous?" Sarah asked in disbelief.

"Yes, generous. Take you for example. He was very generous with you. That's the most generous I've ever heard of him being to anyone."

"What exactly did he do that was generous?" Sarah asked in bewilderment.

"He took Toby like you asked, he gave you the chance to win him back when he didn't have to, he sent me to get you out of the oubliette when he could have left you in there until your time ran out, he sent you one of your dreams instead of a nightmare, he offered you your dreams when he could have just kicked you out of his kingdom. He's **never **been that kind to anyone else" Hoggle told her with a curious look at her. "Makes one wonder why he was so nice to you."

Sarah blushed at that. _What am I blushing for? It's not like I care why he was nice to me. It doesn't change anything! I don't even think he was that nice!_ she thought. _Liar!_ another part of her mind whispered. _You_ _liked him and you know it. You just didn't like the kind of man you thought he was. Now what are you going to do now that you know differently?_ it asked. _Do? Why would I do anything?_ asked the logical part of her mind. _Alright so maybe he's not as bad as I always thought but his bad points still out way any kindness he __**tried**__ to show me_ she stubbornly though. _Maybe because you're not blind and even after all these years, you still dream of that dance you shared _said that small part of her mind that wouldn't shut up. _Admit it. You liked him. Toby was all you could think about though._

Ignoring that part of her mind, Sarah started humming inside her head. Little did she realize the song she was humming was the one Jareth had sung during their dance. When she became aware of that fact, she quickly stopped humming and became fascinated with finding the Labyrinths door, ignoring the small snickering she heard in the back of her mind.

It seemed like they had been walking forever when she finally spotted the huge doors that broke up the Labyrinth wall. Walking up to them, she waited expectantly for them to open. When after a few seconds they didn't, she turned to Hoggle for an explanation.

"It's because the Labyrinth's asleep. Now you have to open the doors yourself."

Turning back to the doors, she waited until Hoggle had joined her and then pulled as hard as she could. The doors didn't budge an inch.

"One more time" she said. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

With a grunt of effort, Sarah and Hoggle pulled until their arms started hurting. Just as she was about to give up, she felt a slight movement from the door. With renewed effort and strength she gave one last heave and was rewarded with the doors swinging open with a bang.

Ready to cry from exhaustion and frustration that had built up all day, Sarah walked through the gate and slumped against the far wall of the outer corridor. This day wasn't getting any better then when it started. Already she was worn out and they hadn't even started the actual Labyrinth.

Seeing how tired Sarah looked and that the sun was getting lower in the sky, Hoggle patted her arm and made a suggestion.

"Hows about we visit a friend of mine and see if we can stay with them for the night? It's not good to be out in the Labyrinth after dark. Even if it is asleep, there's still the traps that can be automatically triggered."

"I thought everyone in the Labyrinth was asleep."

"My friends are easy to overlook and they live in the outer corridor. As far as I know, the fog hasn't come this far yet though it's only a matter of time."

With a relieved sigh, Sarah said, "That sounds great, Hoggle. I didn't realize how tired I was. Today took more out of me then I originally thought."

Patting her arm sympathetically he said "Then follow me" as he turned and took the path to the right of the gate.

* * *

I know not a whole lot happened in this chapter. I hate stories that I feel are rushed and underdeveloped. The story will pick up pace but it's never going to be full of battle scenes like in the Goblin City with the goblin army. Most of the residence of the Labyrinth are asleep so that's just not possible. Other things will happen though. I'm still not sure how long this stories going to be. I tried to keep Hoggle as in character as I can. Sarah's going to be a bit different. She's grown up, of course she's going to mature and change over time. So far she does still seem to have the same childish conception of Jareth though.


	4. Chapter 4

Her tired mind finally catching up to where they were going, a puzzled Sarah looked at her short friend.

"Hoggle, I thought you didn't have any friends besides Ludo and Didymus."

"That was before I met you, Sarah. It was rather lonely being a dwarf in the Goblin Kingdom. As lonely as being a handicapped dwarf in the Dwarf Kingdom."

"You're not handicapped! You're just fine," interrupted Sarah.

"Huh! You've never seen anything I've tried to make. Anyways, as I was saying before someone interrupted me, it was lonely. Til I met you. You were the first friend I ever had. And cause of you I met Ludo and Didymus. I found out that it was nice having friends. After you went back Aboveground, I decided it weren't such a bad thing to have friends. I started goin out of my way to make some. Oh I'm still not Mr. Popular but I do have a nice circle of friends I can count on," Hoggle said with pride.

"Is that why you talk more then you used to?" Sarah asked.

"Huh huh huh! I found out that I rather like having someone to talk to. Before you, I never had anyone. Spraying for fairies kept me outside the Labyrinth and as you've seen, it ain't the most lively place out there. If I did go into the City, well you've seen yourself that it's full of goblins. They're not the most interesting creatures to talk to. Rather dim."

"Yes. I noticed when they stood there and let themselves get bowled over by rocks" was Sarah's dry reply. "Is it much farther?"

"We're here."

"Here? But there's nothing here" Sarah said as she spun in a circle. "It's just empty corridor!"

"Appearances are deceiving here. You know that."

That was true. Sarah had rarely found anything in the Labyrinth was what it seemed to be. She should have remembered that.

As if to prove the point, she heard a small voice say, "'ello."

Startled by the familiar greeting, Sarah looked down and saw to her surprise the little blue worm that she had met on her first trip through the Labyrinth. Smiling at the worm who had helped her before, she crouched down to be closer to his eye level.

"Well hello there. It's good to see you again. How's the missus?"

"Oh she's fine. She went to visit her mother so she's not in at the moment. 'Ello Hoggle" the worm said turning his head to smile at his friend.

"Hi there, worm. Sarah and I need a place to stay the night. Do you think you could put us up?"

"Oh sure, sure. Plenty of room for friends. Come inside before the sun sets" was the cheerful reply. Turning around, the worm disappeared through a little hole in the wall.

"Hoggle…..How are we supposed to….?" Sarah asked.

"What? Get in? Simple really. Just go through the opening."

"What opening? It's a wall."

"Appearances, Sarah" was his cryptic answer. "Come on" he said reaching for her hand. "It's getting dark and I don't want to be caught outside once the sun sets."

Walking straight forward, Sarah gripped his hand tightly. Bracing to hit the wall, Sarah was surprised when instead of an impact, the corridor they had been standing in disappeared from view. Turning to look back, Sarah could now see the back side of the wall she had been facing. There had been an opening in the wall that was camouflaged by an optical illusion.

Laughing at her naiveté, Sarah thought of how she had been tricked by the same type of illusion before. She never would have found her way out of the corridor if she hadn't met the little blue worm. _When will I learn? _she wondered.

Turning back to face forward, she was once again surprised. In front of her where she expected to see blank wall was a door. Not like any of the other doors she had encountered in the Labyrinth. No special knockers or two headed guards. Just a plain door like you would find Aboveground, except that it was only two-thirds the size of a normal door.

"This is it" Hoggle said. "Worm is rather sociable so he's used to having visitors that need a door. Still it's going to be a bit of a squeeze for you. Not many people in the Labyrinth as tall as you are so watch your head" he warned as he pushed the door open and walked inside

"That's ok. It's only for one night" Sarah said as she ducked through the door. She quickly realized what Hoggle had meant as she looked up at the ceiling and saw that it was only a few inches from her eyes. She'd have to stay crouched over or sitting down if she wanted to stay inside.

Other than the low ceiling, the room was surprisingly roomier than she had expected. Five small stools stood in a semi-circle around the worms personal living space where a few candle stood, lighting the room. The walls were bare except for a tiny picture by the worm's hole that Sarah had to squint to see. It looked like a picture of a group of worms of all colors.

Seeing where she was looking, the worm told her, "Come in, come in. Have a seat. There's plenty of room." Wiggling over to the picture, he looked at it then up at Sarah. "My family. They're a rowdy bunch, they are. Never holding still." He sighed and shook his head affectionately.

Stepping closer, Sarah bent over farther to get a closer look. There were blue ones, red ones, a yellow one, and a green or two. All of them were smiling at the camera.

"They look very nice."

"Oh they are! They are!" the worm said with his little accent.

Sitting down beside Hoggle on one of the little stools, Sarah looked over the rest of the room. Except for the stools and the worm's part of the room, it was bare.

The worm's area consisted of a small bed with a multicolored blanket over it and two small pillows, a small table with a tiny tea cup and saucer on it, a miniature refrigerator and stove and another hole in the wall she assumed let to the bathroom.

Finishing her inspection, she turned her attention back to her companions to find the worm looking at her expectantly.

"So, what do you think?"

"It's very……nice" Sarah finished. She didn't know what else to say. She was sure it was cozy for the worm but to her the room seemed empty.

"Isn't it? The missus decorated it" the worm said with pride. "Talented, isn't she?"

Sarah just smiled at that as she didn't want to offend their host. For all she knew, this was fashionable in the Underground. It just didn't suit her taste.

"Isn't this room a little drafty in the winter?" she asked.

"Oh a bit. Not that it matters. This is our summer home" replied the worm. "Besides, winter's not come to the Goblin Kingdom in a long time."

"What do you mean? Doesn't it come every year?" Sarah shook her head in puzzlement.

"Nah. Winter only comes when the Goblin King wants it to come and it only lasts as long as he wants it to"; explained the worm. "With the King being gone a while, winter's not come."

Sarah was fascinated by how the Labyrinth worked. It was so different from her world. Anything really **was** possible here.

Sitting quietly through their talk, Hoggle had begun to doze off. His head would start to fall forward only to be jerked back up when he realized it was happening. Finally tiredness won out and Hoggle lost the fight. He fell forward and landed in a heap on the floor with a thud.

Awakened by his sudden fall, an embarrassed Hoggle quickly picked himself up and dusted himself off. Blushing scarlet, he returned to his seat as Sarah and the worm pretended not to have noticed. Fisting his hands tightly in his lap, he stared at the floor in mortified silence.

An awkward silence was finally broken by the worm.

"Well look at me here, chattering away and keeping your two up when you both must be tired. Hoggle knows the way to your room. If you need anything just tell me."

"Thank you" Sarah politely replied. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight to the both of ya."

Hoggle mumbled something that sounded like a goodnight before taking a candle and leading Sarah over to a different wall and through another optical illusion. This one led to another small room that was longer then it was wide. Two small beds took up most of the limited space.

Hoggle went and threw himself face first onto one of them. Burying his face in the pillow, he hoped Sarah wouldn't want to talk. He was still embarrassed about falling out of his chair.

Seeing that Hoggle appeared to want to be left alone, Sarah went and sat on the other bed. It was apparent that it wasn't meant for a human. It was too short for Sarah to stretch out on but she could curl up on it and be moderately comfortable.

"Goodnight Hoggle," Sarah said.

Hoggle sighed in relief. "Goodnight Sarah."

After sitting up and pulling off her shoes, Sarah leaned over and blew out the candle. The room became instantly dark except for the candle wick which glowed red for a few seconds before dying. Swinging her feet back onto the bed, Sarah turned onto her side and curled into as comfortable position as she could find.

Her body was exhausted but her mind wasn't ready to sleep just yet. The events from the day played over and over again in her mind behind her closed eyes. Finally after what seemed like hours, her mind slowed down and began to drift into sleep. The last thing she remembered thinking about before falling asleep was wondering where Jareth was.

Suddenly she found herself in a strange fog filled place. Looking around and wondering where she was, she tried to see something that she recognized but everything was shrouded in fog. Wrapping her arms around her waist from fear instead of cold, Sarah's mind raced to think of a way that she got there.

From behind her she heard something that was whisper soft and barely able to be heard.

"Sarah."

TBC......

* * *

I'm sure you can all guess where this is going to lead. It's not that great a leap to make. I know how this story's supposed to end, I just don't know the journey getting there.


	5. Chapter 5

Whirling around in fright, Sarah was surprised by the unthreatening scene before her. Where she expected to see a dark shadowy figure looming over her, instead stood the Goblin King in all his glory.

Make that his former glory. His hair that once crowned his head in an untamable halo now hung rather limp. The ever present smirk had disappeared to an unknown location and his seemingly different colored eyes had lost their sparking challenging look that was preset whenever he confronted Sarah. Now his face was emotionless and his eyes dull in their disinterest.

His wardrobe was also missing it's usual flare. Instead of browns or reds or blues, the only color seen on him was black. His usual knee high boots were black, his tight leather pants were black, even his shirt was black. It still had it's frill around the collar and at the wrists but that was as decorated as it was. He wasn't even wearing a vest to spruce it up.

_Something has to be terribly wrong for him to look like this_, Sarah thought. _Maybe it really __**wasn't**__ Jareth ruining my day. _That thought made Sarah rather uncomfortable because if it was true then it showed her just how close the thought of Jareth was to the surface of her mind throughout the day. She was so sure that she had banished all thoughts of him from her mind for good.

Rather than deal with that train of thought, Sarah concentrated on the present. While she had been looking the Goblin King over, he had just been standing there looking at her with a vacant stare. Rather un-nerved by his empty expression, Sarah shifted her weight and looked at the ground.

When this continued on for several seconds Sarah decided enough was enough and it was time for answers. Lifting her head and opening her mouth to ask Jareth how he'd been, she was surprised to see the area in front of her was empty. Freezing in shock with her mouth open, Sarah blinked several times to make sure her eyes were not playing tricks on her. Shaking her stupor off, Sarah quickly looked around to try to find the vanished goblin king.

When turning in a circle and searching the limited area around her that she could see didn't reveal the errant king, she resorted to something she never thought she would do. She called for him.

"Jareth."

When waiting several seconds didn't get a response she tried again, louder and more forceful.

"Jareth! Where are you?!" an exasperated Sarah yelled. After several minutes had gone by with no answer Sarah closed her eyes and lifted her hands to rub her temples. The headache that had been trying to form all day had finally succeeded.

_I so do not need this,_ Sarah thought. _I should just leave Jareth and his kingdom to rot!_ sigh _But if I did that than I'd be leaving Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo to rot too. I could never do that. Maybe they can come live with me. If we can get Ludo and Didymus out of the Labyrinth than they might wake up. It wouldn't be a problem moving Didymus but Ludo's another thing all together. There's no way Hoggle and I can move a 400+ lbs. yeti on our own._

Sarah was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice his presence until she felt fingers replace her own at her temples. Her eyes flew open in shock as her head jerked up in surprise. The fingers that had began to massage her temples slowly withdrew back to their owner's side.

Standing before her once more was the Goblin King though he still wore that expressionless look.

"Jareth…." was all Sarah could think to say at this moment.

After another stretch of silence where they both continued to stare at each other, the Goblin King finally turned and began walking away.

"Wait!" Sarah yelled running to catch up. "Where are you going?"

"Away from you" was the surprising answer she was given in a flat tone.

"What?! Why?" a surprised and bewildered Sarah asked as she caught up to him and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Because you're not really here. No matter how often I see you, you're never real. I'm tired of it. I want to be left in peace. I don't want you tormenting me anymore" was his answer as a hint of anger entered his voice.

"Of course I'm real! Could I touch you if I wasn't real?" she asked as she tightened her hold on his arm.

Glancing down at his arm where her hand was holding him, he looked back at Sarah with surprise on his face and interest beginning to lighten his eyes. Stretching a hesitant hand toward Sarah's face with a look of fearful hope on his own, his fingers had just barely brushed her cheek……

Sarah was roused from her sleep by Hoggle shaking her shoulder.

"Sarah. We need to get going if we're going to get very far today."

"Alright Hoggle" she said as she sat up and stretched. She froze in the middle of her stretch when she remembered what she had been dreaming about. Lowering her arms to rest in her lap, she tried to think of what her dream could mean.

Was it brought on simply by being back in the Labyrinth and because the ruler of the Labyrinth was on her mind much of the day? Was she actually worried about Jareth and trying to reassure herself that he was fine by her dreams? If so than she needed to work on her dreams. He hadn't looked fine and although she felt a bit better by seeing him alive, even in a dream, she still could have made him look normal if that was the point of the dream.

Her questions were brought to a halt as Hoggle came back and hurried her out of bed.

"Alright, alright. I'm up" Sarah said as she climbed of the little bed.

"Good. We need to get goin" was Hoggle's reply at seeing her standing.

"But what about breakfast?" Sarah asked.

"We'll eat on the way. Do you want to end up sleeping outside? Cause that's what'll happen if we don't get a move on" a grumpy Hoggle said as he walked out the bedroom door.

"No" was Sarah's answer as she sighed in disappointment and followed him out of the room. What she wouldn't give for a cup of coffee. It might do Hoggle some good too. It was obvious he wasn't much of a morning person.

* * *

This chapter wasn't as long as my other ones. Lol I remember what I originally named this story. It was "It All Could Have Been Avoided" but I forgot the title so I came up with "Dangerous Without You" when I submitted the first chapter. Jareth made his appearance but I wonder what's wrong with him. Why did Sarah dream of him? Is he sick? Is her mind making him look bad as revenge for all her trouble in the Labyrinth?


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter may be confusing to people. It makes sense to me but I'm the one who wrote it and it came from my head so it better make sense to me. If it is confusing to you please tell me so I can work on it and make it more understandable.

* * *

After saying their goodbyes to the worm and giving him their thanks, Sarah and Hoggle set off in their search for someone with knowledge of what happened to Jareth. Walking and eating wasn't the way Sarah would have chosen to start her day but at least the food was still warm and it was edible even if she didn't know what it was. Hoggle had woke up early to fix their breakfast and put it in pouches so they could walk and eat without having to juggle their food around.

It had surprised her that Hoggle knew how to cook but thinking about it, she should have known he had some cooking skill. He did live alone as far as she knew and the Labyrinth had no fast food restaurants that she had noticed on her way through so he would need to know at least the basics to survive. Sarah had never questioned how any of her friends lived. For all she knew, Ludo could eat tree bark and Sir Didymus could eat moss. Though any moss that grew at the Bog of Eternal Stench would most likely taste as bad as the Bog smelled. Her thoughts on her journey had all been about saving Toby and how unfair everything was.

Sarah had learned an important fact from that journey. Life wasn't fair but she could still make the best out of it. It wasn't fair that her parents were divorced but she had gotten Toby out of it. It wasn't fair that she was made to go through the Labyrinth in order to rescue Toby but she had made dear friends from the experience and her journey made her appreciate just how much Toby meant to her. Having to search for Jareth when she would rather never see him again was also unfair but Sarah was able to travel with Hoggle again and learn more about her friends. For every unfair thing, there seemed to be a good thing that came out of it and made the unfairness seem small in comparison. As long as she remembered the good and pushed the thought of Jareth from her mind, she should be able to get through this trip relatively stress free.

_Stress free_ Sarah thought with a snort. _Nothing involving Jareth is ever stress free. First he takes my little brother, then he terrifies me as an introduction. After that he throws a snake at me and says I have to solve his labyrinth in thirteen hours or loose my brother forever. No stress there. Next he chases me with the cleaners, I nearly have my head pulled off by giant feather dusters, I almost get dunked in the Bog of Eternal Stench, and to top it all off I have to take on the whole goblin army. I'm surprised I don't have any grey hairs already from all the stress he's caused. Maybe I should have brought one of those stress relief balls. Of course if I did, I most likely would have ended up throwing it at Jareth's head. If we ever find him._

Sarah was conflicted on the matter of finding the goblin king. Part of her wanted the Labyrinth back to normal and her friends safe. The other half would rather avoid the man all together for her own piece of mind. Aside from the occasional dream that she determinedly forgot when she woke up, her life was goblin king free and she liked it that way. She had a feeling that if they did find Jareth, her goblin king free life would disappear in a cloud of glitter.

Deciding to think about the situation later and focus on the here and now, Sarah became aware of her surroundings and the seemingly random path they were taking. The twists and turns they were taking didn't seem to have a pattern to them and didn't labyrinths have patterns?

"Hoggle are you sure you know where you're going?" Sarah timidly asked not wanting to upset Hoggle again.

"Course I do! You think I can't tell one direction from another?" an indignant Hoggle asked.

"That's not what I meant at all! It's just that during my time in the Labyrinth I couldn't even tell which path I came from, let alone know how to get where I wanted to go" Sarah hurriedly said.

"That's you. I know this place like the back of my hand. Besides you have to know what to expect from the labyrinth. It likes to change itself on you. That's its idea of a joke. Not a very funny one unless you're watching a drunk goblin try to find its way home." Hoggle guffawed "Watching them stumble around and get a confused expression on their already dumb looking faces makes my day."

"That's not very nice. How would you like it if they did that to you?" Sarah asked.

"You think they don't?"

Sarah didn't reply to that as she thought about it and came to the conclusion that, yes they probably did do that. The citizens of the Labyrinth weren't the nicest of creatures. Well Ludo was but he was an exception.

"The Labyrinth moves things in a certain order so once you know where one thing is, you can determine where the Labyrinth moved the place you want to go. It's a chaotic order but it is order" Hoggle explained.

Sarah shook her head in confusion. "That doesn't make sense to me."

"Say you want to get to the Bog. First you have to find someplace you recognize. Then you use the unmoving landmarks in the Underground to find out where YOU are."

"But I thought everything in the Labyrinth moved" Sarah interrupted.

"Most things do but not everything. Didn't you notice that the Castle never moved?"

"No" Sarah said as she thought back to her trip. It did always seem to be in the same place when she looked for it.

"You took it for granted that it would move, just like you took everything else for granted in the Labyrinth. Now as I was saying you have to find out where you are by using the unmoving landmarks. The Castle will always be in the center of the Labyrinth. If you're in a high spot and can look over the Labyrinth you can see more unmoving landmarks if you know where to look and what to look for. Like the Bog. That never moves either. Mostly because Jareth doesn't want it stinking up the whole Labyrinth and well even the Labyrinth doesn't want to touch the Bog anymore than it has to. Why move the Bog and get another area smelling like it when it's just fine where it's at? You can also tell where the Bog is by it's smell. If you're anywhere near it, you'll be able to smell it and tell which direction it's coming from."

"So if I'm lost I should look for a high place and look for the Castle or the Bog. Got it" Sarah nodded her head.

"It only helps if you know where the Labyrinth moves things. Now the Labyrinth doesn't move things just willy-nilly. It has its own patterns. What it does is rotate places. The Labyrinth is a big circle. I know some people think it's a square but it's not. Inside the outer wall are walls that divide the Labyrinth up into smaller circles that get littler the closer to the center you get. If you looked at the Labyrinth from the sky it would look like a giant bulls-eye. The Labyrinth will rotate those circles on you. The catch is that no matter where the place you want to find is, it will always be the same distance from the Castle. That doesn't apply to the Bog. Like I said, the Labyrinth doesn't move that. It just sorta skips over the Bog when it moves that circle. It's not just the circles that the Labyrinth rotates. It can rotate small pieces of the circles so that only a small area rotates and not the whole circle. That's what it did to you. Only the small section of the circle you were in at the time rotated. The Labyrinth plays another trick on you in that you yourself aren't rotated, only the area around you is. That's why the paths kept changing on you when you turned around."

"What a cheap trick!" an indignant Sarah yelled.

"The Labyrinth doesn't do it to be mean Sarah. That's its way of amusing itself. Jareth encourages it. It gives the questers another challenge to overcome not to mention he finds it amusing himself."

"He would" muttered a still angry Sarah. "That makes it nearly impossible to solve the Labyrinth unless you live here. The only reason I made it through was because of you and the others."

"That's part of the Labyrinth's test. The Labyrinth tests your observation skills, your planning, your resourcefulness, and your logic. Your observation skills needed sharpened but your planning and your resourcefulness were greater than Jareth expected. You failed the logic test."

"When was I tested?" Sarah asked.

"Your observation skills were tested in the outer corridor when you had to find an opening. You didn't see it, the worm had to point it out to you. Your planning was finding a way to mark which paths you had already taken. While that was taken care of so that it didn't do you any good you still passed because you did make a good plan. You showed your resourcefulness by getting me to help you. You worked with what you had and what you had was what you had on you at the time and the creatures you met. First you bribed me with your bracelet, then you blackmailed me by taking my jewels. You freed Ludo winning his friendship. Do you think it was coincidence that you wound up in the area where Ludo was being kept? Without Ludo, you wouldn't have gotten Didymus' permission to cross his bridge. You failed the logic test when you didn't solve the riddle of the door guardsmen" Hoggle explained wisely.

"You make it sound like lots of little challenges wrapped up in one big challenge" Sarah mused.

"It is. Only someone who truly wants the wished away back will be able to solve the Labyrinth. If you hadn't really wanted Toby back, you never would have got me to help. You would have given up after the Labyrinth kept moving on you or after the cleaners. You kept going forward no matter how many times you were scared or challenged. The Labyrinth arranged those scares and challenges. It did it to prove that you were worthy of the challenge and the chance to win back Toby. If the Labyrinth finds someone unworthy it wont let them reach the center even with all the help in the whole Underground. If it can dump you into the Bog of Eternal Stench why can't it dump you **outside **of the Labyrinth itself? From there it could just keep moving the door so that you couldn't get back inside" Hoggle told her with a wave of his hand to emphasize.

After being given so much to think about and reflect on Sarah once more fell silent as she absent-mindedly followed Hoggle. Soon the stone pathways gave way to green hedges. If Sarah had been paying attention she would have found the sight similar to the area where she met Ludo, if not the very area but as with many areas of the Labyrinth, it was hard to tell one pathway from another.

Before she was even aware of the change in scenery Hoggle was stopping in front of two doors with familiar knockers. Walking to the bulldog faced door knocker she fondly laid her hand on the door as she smiled at the sleeping face. They were just as Sarah remembered, the one on the left with his bulldog face and his handle in his ears and the one on the right with his handle stuck in his mouth. Unlike the last time though neither of them was grumbling. Instead the one with the handle in his ears was snoring loudly while the other was grimacing in his sleep around the handle in his mouth.

Stepping back from the door she gazed back and forth between them before heading toward the door she was familiar with.

"Not that one" Hoggle called to her. "This one" he said heading towards the door with the bulldog faced knocker.

"Oh" a surprised Sarah replied. "How are we going to open it. Last time I had to knock three times and then the door opened. Will that still work even though the knockers are asleep?"

"It's not the knockers that open the door. It's the magic of the Labyrinth."

"But the Labyrinth's asleep too" Sarah pointed out.

"But it's magic aint. Magic never sleeps and its magic that opens these doors" Hoggle told her walking to the door and reaching up for the handle. His hand was several inches too short to reach. With a quick glance at Sarah out of the corner of his eye he stretched up onto his toes. Still missing by an inch he resorted to jumping to reach the handle. After 3 attempts he was finally able to grasp the handle but now he had a new problem. While he had a hold of the handle, he was now hanging from it and his feet no longer touched the ground making it impossible to bang the knocker.

Sarah stood and watched through his struggles knowing how proud Hoggle was and that he wouldn't accept any help. She kept a straight as he dangled from the handle and glared at the door in front of his nose.

"Would you like some help?" Sarah finally asked after several seconds had passed and Hoggle still glared at the door.

"No!" Hoggle snapped as he turned his head slightly to the side and glared at her now. "I can do it. I don't need no help."

Turning back around to face the door Hoggle's glare softened slightly into a frown as he began to think of a way to open the door without needing Sarah's help. Finally deciding on the only option he could think of, he braced his feet against the door and pushed off. Since he still had a hold of the knocker's handle he swung back after his momentum ran out and crashed feet first into the door causing a thud. While it wasn't a knock it was similar and Hoggle hoped the Labyrinth's magic would count it. Hoggle was red in the face by the time he had repeated the process two more times and nervously waited to see what would happen.

Much to Hoggle's relief the Labyrinth's magic counted the thuds as knocks and the door cracked open to reveal a sliver of light. Giving a smug nod of his head in triumph Hoggle pushed the door open the rest of the way and walked through. Sarah hesitated outside the door unsure of what to expect on the other side and nervous about finding out. A sharp call from Hoggle to hurry up spurred her into action as she took a deep breath and plunged through the door.

* * *

Any suggestions for what's behind the door? I want something different than the other areas we saw in the movie. I don't want to repeat the same types of places when Sarah's going to an area she's never seen. We've seen the maze, under the maze, a forest, a bog, a junk yard, a city, and a castle. Maybe a mountain or a lake. I think a swamp might be too similar to the Bog. A winter area maybe. Or an area that's split into the 4 seasons.


	7. Chapter 7

Not sure of what she was getting into, Sarah came to an abrupt halt two steps through the doorway, almost tripping herself at her sudden stop. Gazing around herself with wide, surprised eyes Sarah was amazed to find not a dark forest or a damp swamp or even a barren plain but instead a beautiful lake that glimmered in the sunshine. Ringing the lake were tall willow trees that draped their branches down to touch the water and provide shade to sit under. Two waterfalls at the far end created a striking and puzzling scene with one waterfall going down and the other going up and neither waterfall supported by anything. Where normally a cliff would be behind the waterfalls instead was nothing. Sarah had no idea how there could be waterfalls with nothing to fall from or run up to in the case of the second waterfall.

Hoggle stood a few feet from Sarah looking over the picturesque scene with pride.

"Ain't it pretty?" he asked as he turned to Sarah to see her reaction.

"It's beautiful, Hoggle. Did you do this?" she replied looking around in wonder.

"Yep" he said in obvious pride. "Took a lot of work to get it just right for his royal pain. It just had to be perfect he said. Nothing but perfect. Don't know why he cared so much when the rest of the Labyrinth ain't perfect. Don't know why this place is so important to him."

"How did you make the waterfalls?" she asked as she moved closer to get a better look.

"Oh those" he replied in an uninterested voice as he followed after her. "Jareth made those. Aint no use asking me how cause I don't know how he did it. This place is one big mystery to the rest of us in the Labyrinth. Don't know why he made it or what its purpose is. Aint got no traps or tricks like the rest of the Labyrinth. It's useless."

"I think it's beautiful. So peaceful and quiet" Sarah said as she turned in a slow circle. "Like a place in a dream" she trailed off.

This place made her think of her dream last night. It was so strange. She still didn't know the reason behind it.

"Well" Hoggle said "It's a nice enough place but it's rather boring. No tricks or traps. Nothing to amuse yourself."

"I think it's perfect" Sarah smiled.

"Ya do?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes. Absolutely perfect."

"Humph" Hoggle replied in astonishment. "Well if you like it so much I guess we can stop here for lunch. We've been walking for a few hours."

"Has it been that long" a shocked Sarah asked. "It doesn't feel like it."

"Part of the Labyrinth. It's no fun if the runners get tired. Or at least if they know how tired they are. The Labyrinth just makes it so you don't feel your tiredness. It's still there and being as how you're human, it's hard on your body. We'll eat lunch and rest here for a bit. Wouldn't want you collapsing from exhaustion. You'd be useless then."

"Thanks for your concern" Sarah said in amusement. "What's for lunch?"

"Barley bread and roast chicken sandwiches and an apple a piece. We can drink from the lake. Jareth made it so the water's always clean" he said as he untied a small bag he had hanging from his belt.

"I thought that was your jewels" she said surprised.

"Nah. I hid me jewels until this place gets safer. Too easy to loose them when I'm running from the fog. This is a magic belt pouch that never fills up. At least never in my experience. Never really tried to fill it. While you were sleeping this morning, I went out and got some supplies. Ain't nothing fancy but it'll fill your stomach. Nother good thing about this pouch is food don't spoil in it" he explained as he led her over to one of the willows and sat down under it's shade.

"That's very useful" Sarah said as she watched him pull their lunch out of the pouch. It was interesting to watch. The bag didn't seem to have much in it yet Hoggle kept pulling things out that looked like they wouldn't fit in there. Two apples, two wrapped items she assumed were their sandwiches and lastly two wooden mugs. Sarah was curious as to what else he had in there.

The two ate their lunch in silence, Sarah enjoying the beautiful scenery and Hoggle enjoying his food. After finishing their food, Sarah lay back and closed her eyes. It was so easy to just relax and drift off. Hoggle didn't try to wake her. He figured she was tired even if she didn't feel it. It wouldn't hurt to rest for a few hours was his last thought as he too drifted to sleep.

When Sarah opened her eyes she was surprised to find herself not by the lake like she remembered but was instead back in the fog filled place from her dream. _I don't even remember falling asleep. I guess Hoggle was right and I'm more tired than I was aware of_ she thought as she looked around. She figured since she was in the same place as before then the Goblin King should be here again too but she didn't see him anywhere. _Great. I'm in a place where there's nothing to see and no one to talk to. What is my mind trying to tell me? That I'm boring and my life's empty? I have news for my subconscious. I have a very exciting and fulfilling life,_ she thought as she glared at the fog in front of her. _Well….I have a very fulfilling life….._When still nothing happened she thought defiantly _I have a very fulfilling job_! Her glare became fiercer when the fog still refused to disappear. _Damn subconscious! I'm not admitting anything else!_

She was still giving the fog a death glare when she was startled by a voice saying "My, my, what did the fog ever do to you to make you glare at it such a way?" Spinning around she spotted the Goblin King with his head tilted to the side looking at her in mocking amusement.

* * *

I know that nothing happened in this chapter either but it IS an important chapter. Aside from getting Jareth back in the story it also has an important piece of information to the story in it. I don't think it's too hard to figure out why but then again I know where I'm going with this chapter and why it's so important. I plan on trying to update once a month or more depending on how creative I'm feeling.


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah stared at him in shock. Gone was the black pants and black shirt. Instead he wore a more normal attire, at least normal for him. Form fitting gray pants rose from the tops of his black boots. His shirt was once more a white poets shirt but a black vest was worn over it showing his slim build. His pendant gleamed in a light that shouldn't be possible with the thick fog.

It wasn't a big difference and was rather tame for him but it was still shocking to see. Even his hair was back to defying gravity. Sarah idly wondered how long it took him to fix his hair each day. Of course when you could re-order time it didn't matter so much.

Sarah snapped our of her shock after noticing Jareth was starting to look slightly worried. Her face heated up as she wondered how long she had been staring at him like a fool. Hopefully it wasn't that long.

"Jareth" she said after the pause. Inwardly she groaned at her response. _Could I have sounded any dumber_? Wanting to salvage what dignity she could, Sarah decided to go on the attack.

"What are you doing here?" she asked the first thing that came to her mind. She felt like kicking herself. _What are you doing here? That's the best I could do? Grade schoolers could do better than that._

Jareth smirked at her response.

"What am I doing here? That's the best you've got? Come now Sarah, surely you can do better than that" he mocked.

Sarah gritted her teeth in anger at his taunting that was nearly word for word with her own thoughts. _Just because it was lame doesn't mean he has to point it out. Arrogant jerk._ Now she had the urge to kick **him**, right in the shin on those shiny black boots. See how smug he was then.

"Fine. What are you doing here, pedophile?" she asked snidely.

"Pedophile? That hurts, Sarah" he said clutching his chest in mock pain. His wounded look quickly melted into a slightly amused expression. "And completely untrue too. I have never touched a child in an inappropriate way."

"Oh yeah? What about me, huh?"

"When did I ever touch you inappropriately?" he asked as he started to circle her.

Sarah was silent as she couldn't think of one time. Even when they danced he kept his hands in their proper place. It just seemed like every thing he did was sexual.

"Perhaps it's just that you **want** me to touch you" he said seductively in her ear as he leaned over her shoulder.

Sarah sputtered incoherently as she couldn't come up with a response to that. _The nerve!_ "You…I…What?" was the only things that came out.

"Yes, you and I and what we could do" he closed his eyes with a wicked smirk as he came around to face her. A seductive laugh came from his mouth. "Mmmm what things!"

Sarah was struck speechless by his tempting smile and sexy laugh. Images caused by his words bombarded her mind. Her breath hitched as picture after picture appeared before her minds eye. Her legs started to weaken as the mental assault continued. Before Sarah knew it her eyes had closed and her lips had parted.

With her eyes closed Sarah didn't see Jareth's eyes snap open and the smirk leave his face to be replaced by a serious expression. She missed his eyes getting a distant look as he concentrated on something far away. She did notice when his hands grabbed her shoulders and gave her a slight shake.

"Sarah you need to wake up. You need to wake up **now**!"

"What?" Sarah asked in a dazed voice as she opened her eyes.

"Wake up, Sarah! Open your eyes, grab Hoggle and **run**!" he ordered as he gave her another shake to get the importance across.

"Why? What's the matter?" she asked in confusion.

An impatient look crossed Jareth's face as he shook his head. "There isn't time! Just obey me for once and **wake up NOW!**" was his final order as the world around Sarah began to quickly fade.

* * *

So close! They were finally getting somewhere. If it's not Sarah being stubborn then it's something else.

I know this chapter was really short but their dream time was interrupted. I love writing Jareth but SOMETHING has to happen. Besides, this chapter also shows Jareth's concern for Sarah and even Hoggle.

Do you realize that this story is already 36 pages long?


	9. Chapter 9

Sarah bolted upright from her sleeping position gasping for breath. _What was that? What ever it was I don't want to stay here anymore_ Sarah thought. She quickly turned to her side and shook Hoggle.

"Hoggle, wake up. Hoggle!" she shook him more forcefully.

"Hmm…ninety-six…" Hoggle mumbled as he turned onto his side away from Sarah.

"Hog-gle!" Sarah exclaimed as she stood up and grabbed him, lifting him into a sitting position by his shirt. "Wake up or I'll drop you into the Bog!"

"I'm up! I'm up! Jeez Sarah, you don't have to threaten me" he groused.

"You wouldn't wake up. You sleep like a drunken goblin."

"I do not!" Hoggle said in an offended voice. "What'd you wake me up for?"

When Sarah gave no answer he turned to look at her. He was surprised to find her pale and with a scared expression on her face.

"Sarah?"

When she gave no indication of answering, Hoggle gently shook her arm.

"Sarah!"

Sarah stood there frozen. None of Hoggle's actions got a response. A worried Hoggle followed Sarah's gaze and froze as well.

Seeping from under the door they had entered through earlier was a layer of fog. It flowed from the floor to waist height where it hung in place as more fog came through the crack under the door. As more fog entered, the cloud grew thicker and darker. When no more fog came from the door the mass of fog swirled tightly together before bursting out into a dense fog bank several feet long. After it was done arranging itself the cloud began to slowly advance toward the pair.

Hoggle hastily retreated from the sinister fog, tripping over his own legs in the process. Knocked out of his mindless terror Hoggle quickly reached to grab Sarah and pull her away from the threatening cloud, rousing Sarah from her stupor. Once more able to think, Sarah took Hoggle's hand and turned to escape.

"So that really is the fog that's putting everyone to sleep?" Sarah asked as her breathing became faster. She may be fit since she's an actor but she wasn't used to running.

"No, that's just this place's weekly rain shower" Hoggle answered sarcastically. "Of course! You think that's natural?"

"In the Labyrinth it's a real possibility!" she retorted.

"Well it's not! If it was harmless then we wouldn't be running!"

"Where are we running to? Which way's the door?"

"This way!" Hoggle yelled as he led Sarah through the trees, ducking branches and jumping over roots. "The doors around here somewhere!" he shouted. "I hope" he mumbled at the end.

"What?" Sarah yelled as she heard the last part.

"I mean…I know it's this way!" he assured her in a fake confident voice. "See!" he said as he sighed in relief and tried to disguise wiping his hand across his brow as fixing his hat.

Ahead of them was a revolving door of all things. Over the top of the door hung a Grecian tragedy mask. As the couple approached the door the mask's mouth turned from a frown into a smile. It was rather creepy to see.

"Hello! It's nice to finally see someone!" the mask called out in an irritatingly happy voice.

"No time to talk!" Hoggle shouted as they continued running towards the door.

"There's always time to talk, my friend. It gets so lonely hanging here by myself" the mask said in a sad voice as it once more frowned.

"Not now! Just let us through!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. First you must answer my question" was the rather cheeky reply.

"There's no time!" Hoggle shouted in frustration as they reached the door and looked up at the mask.

"Then you don't get through" was the masks stubborn come back.

"Fine! Just hurry up!" a worried Hoggle said as he searched behind them for the approaching fog. Sarah stood fearfully beside him searching the way they had come as well.

The mask gave a irritated frown at being rushed at his job. "Very well" he cleared his throat. "What can you never do with a revolving door?"

"Get it to shut up! Now let us through!" was Hoggle's frustrated reply.

"N…" the angry reply was cut off as the mask thought about it. "Well I guess that is correct since you can't shut a revolving door. Very well. You may pass."

"Thanks!" was the sarcastic reply as they rushed through the door.

"The answer was slam it!" the mask called after them. The mask sighed. "No one ever wants to talk to a door. I'm better than talking to a wall. They never give you a reply, the arrogant jerks. Think they're so better than me just because they reach further than me. Yes I'm talking about you!" it glared at the wall beside it.

Movement caught the masks attention as it turned its gaze from the wall to the space in front of it.

"I say, that's unusual" the mask said as a shiver of foreboding went through it. As the fog got closer the mask became even more worried. It just didn't move like fog. Fog usually spread out and moved rather slow but this fog seemed to have a mind of it's own. "Git! Shew!" the mask shouted at the fog as it came within inches of its face. When the fog continued to come closer the mask resorted to blowing at it in the hopes of keeping it at bay until it moved on. Unfortunately for the mask, the fog had more power behind it than its pitiful attempts to save itself. When the fog passed through the door and into the next area all that was left behind was a still mask that was frozen into an expressionless face.

* * *

This part of the Labyrinth was made with Sarah in mind. Sarah liked the park when she was young and it was the first place we saw Jareth watching her. With that in mind I wanted a similar place. She has a lake and trees but Jareth always has to add flair so he added the waterfalls. This area was never finished before Jareth disappeared. Now this place being made for Sarah, it'll have part of her in it too. Everything in the Labyrinth (aside from the cleaners) is old school. Sarah is from a more modern time so I made the door more modern than the regular wooden doors. She's also an actor so I incorporated that into the door's guardian. The Grecian face masks are a symbol of the theater. The Mask is a rather simple being. He's not dumb, he's just simple minded. No complex feelings or thoughts. Plus he's been mostly alone since the day he came into being which has made his mind a little off, hence the wall part. No he's not dead, he's asleep but since he's a mask and his face expresses his emotions and he's asleep and not feeling anything, his face doesn't have any emotions on it. If he was dead, he would have crumbled away. I'm not really sure how people will react to him. I kinda like him but some people will probably find him annoying. Hopefully not as annoying as Jar Jar Binks. If you don't know who that is then go watch the first three Star Wars episodes. It's the REEEEEALLY annoying alien.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sarah and Hoggle pushed through the revolving door as quickly as they could. The dwarf almost made the mistake of continuing to go around as the door turned. Sarah saved him from that predicament by continuing to go forward and dragging him along by the hand.

Quickly righting himself Hoggle sped up in order to avoid having his arm pulled out of its socket. Sarah seemed oblivious to Hoggle's struggles to keep up. Her fear made her blind to everything but escape.

Hoggle allowed Sarah to pull him along until they reached a distance he thought was safe. Planting his feet firmly he wrenched his arm away from Sarah's hand. Backing away and rubbing his wrist Hoggle took a second to catch his breath.

"Enough, Sarah" he said. "We got away."

"What are you talking about, Hoggle?" Sarah asked in a panicked voice. "We can't stop, it's right behind us!"

"We got away" he repeated. "We lost it."

"How do you know?" she demanded.

"I've been avoiding it for a while now. Think, Sarah" he said. "It doesn't move as fast as us. It's easy to out run as long as you have somewhere to run. Who said it knows where we are now? For all it knows we turned left after the door. Take a deep breath and use your head."

Sarah did as Hoggle said and took a deep breath. She tried to clear her mind of her fear and think logically. _Hoggle's right. It's slower than us so it can't be right behind us. We had to have put some distance between us. _Sarah pause as another thought crossed her mind.

"Hoggle…You kept saying 'it know' like the fog's aware. That's not possible."

Hoggle just sighed. "Sarah, it's the Labyrinth. **Anything** is possible. You've seen fairies and goblins and you've smelled the Bog yet you have trouble believing in a fog that's alive?"

"But it doesn't have a brain!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

Hoggle just snorted. "And goblins do?"

"Hoggle, I'm serious."

"So am I. It doesn't have to make sense, Sarah. It just **is**. You live in a world where logic and technology rule. That's not how the Underground works. Logic doesn't make sense here. If it did, goblins wouldn't be able to drink as much as they do, Didymus wouldn't be able to stand the Bog, decapitation would kill the Fireys, and **glitter** wouldn't look good on a man. Why should living fog be any different? Just stop holding on to your human logic. Believe that anything is possible like you used to. Can we change the subject now? I swear it knows when people are talking about it. "

Ending the conversation Hoggle walked over to a piece of ground spotted by large flat stones. Lifting a stone by its edge Hoggle peered under it. Not seeing what he wanted he dropped the rock back into place and walked to another. Repeating the process he started grumbling as he still didn't find what he wanted.

Sarah watched Hoggle's actions with amusement. "What are you doing?"

Hoggle continued on as he answered. "I'm looking for a specific rock."

"I sorta figured that. What's so special about it?"

"It's…Aha! Found it!" Hoggle shouted in triumph.

Curious about what had Hoggle so happy and what was so special about a rock Sarah quickly walked over to Hoggle and stared at the ground in surprise. Under the rock was a hole. A very dark hole.

"Well climb in" a cheerful Hoggle said.

Sarah just stared at him. "I'm not going down there. It's dark and there's probably spiders."

Hoggle snorted. "Have you ever seen a spider in the Labyrinth?"

Sarah thought about it. "Not that I can remember." It was strange. Even the oubliette didn't have spiders.

"Jareth doesn't like spiders. I swear that's why he kept the chickens in the castle. He's not particularly fond of the fowl creatures" he said chuckling at his joke.

Sarah groaned and hung her head. "Lame, Hoggle. Very lame."

Hoggle sniffed in offense. "Not my fault you don't have a good sense of humor. The goblins would have loved it."

"And what did you say about goblins not having brains?" Sarah asked sweetly.

Hoggle glared at her and just pointed sharply at the hole. Sarah laughed and sat down at the edge of the hole with her knees dangling over into the darkness.

"Just how deep is it?" she asked in trepidation.

Hoggles reply was to thrust his arms out and give her a surprise push. Sarah was swallowed by the darkness as a shriek escaped from her. Hoggle chuckled evilly. "Revenge is sweet" he said before giving a nervous look around and jumping into the hole. The rock that hid the entrance slammed back into place covering the hole and their trail.

* * *

Here's chapter 10. Not much happened but we did learn something about the fog and also that Jareth is afraid of spiders. Can anyone else imagine Jareth seeing a spider and shrieking like a girl while standing in the middle of his throne while pointing and yelling at the goblins to kill it? It might just be me.


	11. Chapter 11

Sarah landed on her feet surrounded by darkness except for the small circle of light that peaked through the hole above. The light didn't extend enough to be able to see anything around her in the pit Hoggle had pushed her into. As much as she didn't want to leave the safety of the light it would be awkward and hazardous to stay under the hole that Hoggle would soon drop through. Extending her arms in front of her, Sarah took a hesitant step forward feeling for anything she could run into or trip over.

It was a good thing she had moved because seconds later Hoggle joined her in the darkness with a grunt. While the fall hadn't been that great for Sarah because of her size Hoggle was much shorter and the drop had knocked the air out of his lungs along with shooting pain up his legs. After holding still and waiting for the pain to subside Hoggle opened his eyes and looked for Sarah.

"Sarah?" he said into the darkness that had completely enclosed them when the rock lid had shut behind him.

"I'm right here, Hoggle" she said as she shuffled towards the place she last saw him, holding her arms out at hip height. After a few tentative steps one of her hands brushed Hoggles shoulder. Feeling around to find his other one she grasped his shoulders and took comfort in the contact. "Now what? I can't see anything."

"Just hold onto me while I light the shrooms."

"Shrooms?" Sarah asked as she tried to suppress a giggle.

"Mushrooms" was the reply.

Apparently the Underground hadn't discovered the recreational use of "shrooms" like some humans had. Maybe she'd introduce the idea to the Fireys before she returned home. They seemed like the kind to appreciate the info.

Sarah kept a hold of Hoggle as he took a few steps to the right. She couldn't see what he was doing in the darkness but it sounded like he was searching his clothes for something. From how long it was taking his vest must have concealed more pockets than it showed.

Finally Hoggle gave a sound of triumph as he movements paused momentarily. Quickly retrieving whatever object he was looking for more unidentifiable sounds were made until a soft green glow formed near the floor. The glow steadily grew brighter until Sarah could see that the pale glow was shaped like a mushroom. As she watched in amazement the glow spread form the single mushroom to mushrooms on either side of it. From those mushrooms it spread in a line down both ways.

The glow allowed Sarah to see the wall the mushrooms lined. Dirt walls on either side of the space were lined by a short row of mushrooms through only one side was lit. The opposite row of mushrooms looked ordinary in comparison. A milky white in color the short fungi looked like any other mushroom Sarah had ever seen. Glitter sparkled faintly along the walls in the pale glow.

Observing her surroundings until her gaze landed on Hoggle once more Sarah was intrigued to see him holding a small pouch in his hands.

"What's that, Hoggle?"

"Fairy dust" was his short answer.

"Fairy dust?" was Sarah's puzzled response.

"Yeah fairy dust. You didn't think I sprayed those little buggers for no reason, did ya?"

"I thought it was your job."

"It is. I spray the fairies we get fairy dust from" was his matter of fact reply.

"You kill the fairies for their fairy dust?" a horrified Sarah exclaimed.

Hoggle gave her a puzzled look. "Who said anything about killing them?"

"I've seen you spray them!"

"Yeah, with water."

"Water?"

"Fairies can't fly if their wings are wet. What'd you think I sprayed them with?"

"I don't know. Pesticides or something I guess" was her uncertain response.

"Why would we kill them when we get fairy dust from them? That would just mean there was less fairies to get it from."

"So what happens to them?"

Hoggle grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled. "Walk and talk. We need to get moving before the fairy dust runs out on the shrooms."

Sarah gave into his pulling and followed Hoggle down the tunnel. The path they were traveling didn't change much in appearance. Dirt walls sprinkled with glitter, lined by mushrooms. It would be easy to get lost in here with the forking tunnels and twists and turns when everything looked the same.

"So what happens to them?" a determined Sarah asked again.

"To who?" a preoccupied Hoggle asked.

"The fairies."

"Oh them. After I spray them an imp comes along behind me to pick them up and takes them to shake the dust off of them."

"It doesn't hurt them does it?" a concerned Sarah wanted to know.

Hoggle snorted. "They enjoy it. The imp takes them to a club specifically made for the fairies, full of everything they could want. We don't physically shake the fairy dust out of them. They shake it out themselves when they dance."

"A club?" a stunned Sarah repeated.

"A dance club. Best way to get fairy dust from a fairy. You get the dust, the fairies get to have fun and no one's resentful. They really go wild when Jareth visits and performs." Hoggle gave her a sly look. "Not what you were expecting, was it?"

Sarah could only shake her head mutely. A dance club! That was…that was…ingenious she had to admit. No one was hurt and both parties get something out of it. Like everything else in the Labyrinth that was unexpected but Sarah should have remembered that nothing was what it seemed here.

Still in a state of shock Sarah nearly ran into Hoggle when he stopped at a fork in the tunnel.

"What's wrong?"

"Just trying to remember which way to go. One way loops back around to where we entered, the other continues on."

"Well I hope you choose the right one."

"The right one? You sure? I thought that one led back in a loop."

"Not the right one. The **right** one. I don't want to start over again."

"Oh the **right** one. Why didn't you say that?"

"I did!"

"No you said the right one" Hoggle said as he led her down the left path. "Besides sometimes the way forward is the way back, remember?" Hoggle threw her a cheeky smile.

Sarah snorted. "What a load of malarkey."

Hoggle laughed at her response. "Not completely. You have to remember that the Labyrinth moves so it's true sometimes…depending on how the Labyrinth moves. Like when you came to the shield door guards. The Labyrinth switched around you so that the only was forward was behind you after you turned to go back. You had to turn back around to go forward.

Sarah thought about that complicated idea. It was hard to wrap her mind around all that he said and keep it straight. "I guess. Bit it still wasn't much help."

"True but the Wise Man only offers clues. He doesn't five straight answers usually."

"Was his falling asleep an act?" a curious Sarah asked.

"Ah…no. He really does fall asleep like that. He's as old as dirt as far as I can figure. His body's not as good as it once was and his mind goes with it. When his body tires out his mind does too. He's really quite wise it's just that he tires quickly."

"Could he help us find Jareth?" a thoughtful Sarah wanted to know.

After hmming in thought for a few seconds Hoggle answered. "Probably. The trick is finding him and finding him awake. The fog may have already got him."

"I hope not. We need to find Jareth as soon as possible."

"Aint that the truth. It's just too quiet with everything asleep. The labyrinth's starting to creep me out" Hoggle said with a shudder.

During their journey the mushrooms had slowly but steadily been growing dimmer. By now their glow was barely bright enough to light the path they were on. Coming to a stop Hoggle squinted his eyes as he searched the shadows for something, finding it to the left of the path and hidden in the deepest shadows. Nodding his head he took Sarah's hand and led her over to what turned out to be stairs made of stone leading upward.

"We should be under the Firey Forest. Time to go up" he explained as he guided her to the stairs and proceeded to walk up them with Sarah by his side.

* * *

I know this chapter was kinda stupid with a fairy dance club and all but I needed a way to get fairy dust without hurting the fairies and that's what popped into my head. Plus I'm sure Jareth would enjoy performing for them. This chapter's not all that important really but I have to get them from point A to point B somehow and I can't see them walking and not talking.

Now they have a plan and next chapter Sarah asks more about Jareth's disappearance. I was going to include that in this chapter but this chapter seemed like it would never end.

pinkflora-I could see Jareth designing his own clothes since no one has his flare for fashion. As for hand sewing them that's probably beneath him in his mind. That's considered menial labor and well he's Jareth. Though I could see him stabbing his finger on accident repeatedly.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ascending the stairs Sarah saw a pin prick of light ahead that grew until it evolved into a circular hole about a foot and a half tall. The light that shined through the hole flickered and moved casting ever changing shadows on the walls. Squatting down onto her heels, Sarah leaned over and tilted her head in order to look through the hole. The sight that greeted her was a familiar one.

Peering through the opening Sarah saw green and brown everywhere. Green leaves sprouted from brown branches that grew from sparkling brown trunks, encircling a clearing with a fire pit in the center. Surrounding the pit was the sleeping forms of feathery orange…things. Not birds because they had no wings but not identifiable as any other creature Sarah had ever heard of, in nature or mythology. Completely unique to the Labyrinth as far as Sarah was aware, the Fireys sprawled across the forest floor in different positions, some that seemed uncomfortable and others that should be impossible.

The leader lay on his side with his head pillowed by his arms. The biggest one lay face down on his chest and knees with his butt in the air. He looked like an over weight inch worm. Another one had his head off and laying on his chest with his arms wrapped around it, clutching it like a teddy bear. The last one was laying on his back with his legs propped up and hanging over a fallen log. His mouth hanging open as a snore rumbled out.

Looking away from the slumbering group she turned her attention back to the entrance way. Directly on the other side of the opening was a thick limb that extended out several feet. The shifting light was caused by the leaves that covered the hole waving in a slight breeze.

Sticking her head through she studied the outer part of the wall. To her surprise she found that the exit was situated a few feet up the trunk of a tree. The leaves blocked the hole from view unless a person knew what to look for. It was no wonder she hadn't noticed it on her journey.

Pulling her head back in she looked at Hoggle. "Do we just jump down?"

"Jump down? Nah. We slide down" Hoggle answered.

Sarah just stared at him in incomprehension. _Slide down what?_ she wondered.

Seeing that she didn't understand, Hoggle told her "Just watch me. It's easy."

Trusting Hoggle and not really having any other option she watched as Hoggle crawled through the hole and onto the limb on the other side. Turning around to face her he straddled the branch and pushed his body backwards. The tree limb bent under his weight and his body slid down the curve of the branch until his feet touched the ground. Holding the limb until he had put some space between it and him, he stepped back and let the branch go. It snapped back into place where it whipped up and down before settling still.

"Come on, Sarah!" Hoggle called up to her.

"Are you sure it wont break? I'm heavier than you are" she called back as she eyed the limb warily.

"It's a rubber tree. It bends without breaking. Don't let its looks deceive you." Still hesitating, Hoggle tried a different tactic. "Trust me, Sarah. You do trust me, don't you?"

Sarah groaned. Now she couldn't stall anymore. If she did then Hoggle would think she didn't trust him. Grumbling under her breath and muttering unkind names directed at the Labyrinths creator, Sarah followed Hoggles example and made the short but tense slide down the limb. To her relief the limb held and deposited her safely on the ground by her companion.

Releasing the limb and watching it snap back in place Sarah squinted to make out the hole she knew was there. Even knowing where it was she still had trouble seeing it. Just like many other things in the Labyrinth it was a clever illusion hiding the truth unless you looked deeper.

_Damn Jareth and his love of tricks. He has to complicate everything_. Sarah's mental ranting was cut short by something small and hard connecting with the top of her head.

Her hand clutching the throbbing spot, Sarah searched the ground for the offending projectile. Sitting innocently on the ground near her feet was a small acorn.

Bending down to pick up the offending object she turned it over in her hand as she examined it.

_An acorn? I'm by a freaking __**rubber**__ tree! Where does an acorn come from?_ Taking a deep breath Sarah tried to calm down. _Ok. I can take a hint. Look deeper._ Motioning Hoggle to lead the way Sarah silently followed him out of the clearing as she held the acorn and tried to find the truth she never tried to see before. Behind her one of the Fireys snorted in their sleep as it rolled over and resettled in a new position, not even aware of the visitors they just missed.

_Jareth…never hurt me. He could have but he didn't. He didn't have to give me a chance to get Toby back. He could have forbidden Hoggle and the others from helping me. He could have given me a nightmare instead of a fantasy. He could have left me in the oubliette, scared and in the dark. Hoggle doesn't hate him like I always thought. Conclusion that brings me to? Jareth…isn't…that bad?_

Another bonk on the head from an unidentified source.

_Alright! Jareth isn't bad!_ Sarah thought as she covered her head with her arms and quickly looked around.

"Sarah…what are you doing?" Hoggle asked.

She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Hoggle stop or her own subconscious stop.

An embarrassed Sarah lowered her arms as she blushed at the amused look on Hoggle's face. "I keep getting hit by acorns" was her sheepish reply.

Hoggle's amused look turned into a confused one. "There aren't any acorn trees in the Firey Forest."

"Uh…" Not wanting Hoggle to think her any crazier, her best answer was "Must have been a squirrel."

"Riiiight" was Hoggle's skeptical response. Turning back around Hoggle raised his eyebrows and silently mouthed "ok" before continuing on.

Blushing furiously Sarah followed as she continued her previous train of thought. _Jareth isn't the evil villain I've always pictured him as. So then why did he take Toby?_ A memory arose in Sarah's mind of one of their conversations.

"Generous? What have you done that was generous?"

"Everything! Everything you have wanted I have done! You asked that the child be taken! I took him. You coward before me! I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside-down and I've done it all for **you**! I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Now isn't that generous?"

_My expectations? He couldn't have done all that because it was what I expected! No one goes that far for someone else!_ Another memory came forward in her mind.

"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything you want"… "Love me, fear me, do as I say and I will be your slave."

_Rule me…as in live here in the Labyrinth. That would make Jareth my king and ruler. Jareth…._Reminded again of why she was there and now slightly worried about him because of her change in perspective Sarah decided it was time for more answers.

"Hoggle are you sure you don't know where Jareth is?"

"Yes I'm sure. I don't know why you would expect me to know anyway. It's not like we're close. I avoid him and he goes out of his way to annoy me. That doesn't mean we compare schedules" was Hoggle's reply.

"Tell me what happened again the day he disappeared."

Hoggle sighed. "After your confrontation Jareth usually just sat on his throne staring into a crystal for hours on end. He was rather gloomy according to rumor. I don't know. I didn't see him which kinda backs up that rumor. He usually irritates me once a week **at least**! That day, from what the goblins can remember, he seemed unusually down. He kept sighing. Near sundown he retired for the night to his bedchambers and that was the last anyone saw of him. At least that I'm aware of. Goblins aren't the most reliable sources."

"And no one's tried to take the throne or invade? No ransom note or anything?"

"Sarah, I don't think you really understand the Goblin Kingdoms position in the Underground. No one **wants** it. The goblins didn't have a kingdom until Jareth made them one. No one wanted them. No one **still **wants them. Plus you still have to get through the Labyrinths traps and the corridors aren't big enough to bring an army through. As for a ransom…this kingdom isn't rich. You'd have to be as dumb as a goblin to try to get a ransom from here! We don't have any gold or jewels. No rare exports or skills of notice. This whole kingdom was built on Jareth's lands. Everyone here is under Jareth's protection. To invade the Labyrinth is to declare war on Jareth himself, not the kingdom. No one's dumb enough to do that. Also as far as I'm aware, no one outside the kingdom knows of Jareth's disappearance. For all they know he's still here."

"Is he really that powerful?" a stunned Sarah asked.

"Jareth reordered time for you. You think just anyone can do that? Not hardly."

Sarah winced at the reminder of what Jareth did for her. She had completely misjudged him. _But now I can repay him…and…apologies._

"Ok. Back to the topic. How long after Jareth disappeared did the mist show up?"

"Hmmm. About a week…I think. That's the first sighting I know of."

"Did anything special happen that week?"

Hoggle thought about it for a moment. "Well with Jareth gone the goblins were louder and rowdier. That was about it."

"That's it? No special event happened? No rare phenomenon? No visitors?"

"Nope. Those things are pretty noticeable and talked about for weeks. Nothin like that happened."

Sarah sighed in frustration. This wasn't making any sense! "Did he leave a note or anything?"

"No."

"No signs of forced entry?"

"Where there are goblins there's always signs like that. They don't know what the word privacy means. It's too long to be in their vocabulary."

"Hoggle, there has to be some clue!"

"I'm telling you, Sarah, there wasn't! We've looked. We've checked his usual haunts. Nothing. We've checked his other estates. Not there. We've even checked the oubliettes! He's no where to be found!" was Hoggle's exasperated answer.

"People don't just disappear into thin air!" Sarah exclaimed. A look from Hoggle had her correcting herself. "Ok, **Jareth** can disappear into thin air. But **would **he? From the way you talk about him, he takes his responsibilities very seriously. Why would he just up and quit with no warning or notice?"

Hoggle hesitated before answering. "Loss can do that to a man. When he looses something important to him than nothing else matters."

"What did he loose that was so important to him that he would stop caring about his kingdom?"

"I aint sayin. I've already said too much" was Hoggle's firm reply.

"Hoggle, how am I supposed to help if I don't know the cause?" a frustrated Sarah asked. "Why wont you tell me?"

"It aint my place to tell ya. Besides, some things mean more when you discover them for yourself." Sarah didn't hear the part that he mumbled after. "Not that you'd believe me if I told ya."

"So then what am I supposed to do? Find him and then say 'Sorry for beating you at your own game?' Like that's going to make it all better!"

Hoggle sighed. "You don't have to apologize to him. You didn't do anything wrong. Just…I don't know! I'm a wrinkly dwarf for peat's sake! Just try to understand what he's going through and do what feels right to you. That's all anyone can ask."

"But you wont tell me what he lost! How am I supposed to understand?" Sarah exclaimed.

"You'll just have to figure it out for yourself" a stubborn Hoggle replied.

Sarah gritted her teeth in annoyance and let out a small shriek. "Is this about asking the right question again?"

"No."

"Then why wont you tell me?"

"Because you'll understand better if you learn it yourself. Me telling you wont help you much."

Sarah huffed in irritation. "Can we at least sit down so I can think about it without having to watch where I'm going?"

"Only for a little while. I don't want to risk that fog catching us. I swear it mocks me." Hoggle led her over to a huge fallen tree to sit beside and lean their backs against. "You better do your thinking fast."

"I hear you, Hoggle. I'll try to reach enlightenment quickly" a sardonic Sarah replied. Closing her eyes she leaned her head back against the felled giant and set her mind to figuring out the puzzle that was Jareth.

* * *

There you go. Chapter 12. She's finally starting to see the truth. She's not all the way there yet but she's getting closer.

So what do you want to happen next? Fog reappears? Another dream with Jareth? They find the Wise Man? Or Ludo?

Is it just me or has my writing skill gone down slightly?

Kudos to anyone who knows what Jareth's lost.

Is it bad that I did most of the flash backs, nearly every word, from memory?


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Sarah didn't even have time for one thought to enter her mind before she found herself back in her dream world again. It was different this time. The fog that enshrouded everything was thinner. In the distance she could see the dark silhouette of what looked to be a tree.

_I wonder why the change,_ Sarah thought as she looked around to see if she could see anything else. Unfortunately to her disappointment the rest was a mystery. While the fog had thinned it was still too dense to reveal anything else.

"Back so soon? Did you miss me that much?" Jareth sardonically asked from beside her.

Looking to her right Sarah saw Jareth standing by her shoulder looking forward out into the fog. As if he felt her gaze on him he turned his head until he was looking back at her. Giving her a wink his serious expression dissolved into a smirk.

Sarah had to stifle a chuckle at his actions. _Say what you want about him, Jareth never lacks confidence. It's both infuriating and amusing depending on the circumstances._

"Miss you? I cam back for the scenery" Sarah joked back. Now that she knew and admitted that Jareth wasn't evil she could call an end to her animosity. She was even willing to try to be friends. _We'll see how that goes._

A flash of surprise darted through Jareth's eyes at her come back. His head tilted to the side in curiosity. "Scenery? Yes, it is quite beautiful here. I'm glad you appreciate it."

"Yes. Fog always adds charm to any place." was Sarah's sarcastic reply as she smiled at him.

"Fog?" Jareth asked as he looked around and furrowed his brow in confusion. "What fog?"

Now it was Sarah's turn to be surprised. "What do you mean what fog? The fog that's covering everything. It's about all you can see."

Jareth now gave Sarah a long searching look. "I don't see any fog, Sarah. To me the air is crystal clear. There's nothing blocking my sight."

"Then…why can't I see anything?" a puzzled Sarah asked.

A sad look came over Jareth's face at her question. "Because you don't **want** to see. Your stubbornness limits your sight."

An offended look appeared on Sarah's face at his reply. "What? **My** stubbornness? You're one to talk about stubbornness!"

"It's true Sarah! I have nothing on you when it comes to being stubborn. The fog you see in your dreams proves it. That's **your** refusal to see the truth!" was his angry retort.

"What truth? Tell me, Jareth, what does this fog conceal?" an equally angry Sarah questioned.

"That is for **you **to discover for yourself. I've already given you everything. I **refuse** to give you what little of my pride I managed to salvage."

"Pride? That's why you wont answer? Because of your stupid pride?"

"That's all I have left, Sarah! You left me with nothing else."

"What did I take from you?" was Sarah's exasperated question.

Jareth sighed in defeat. "Never mind. Tell me, Sarah, what do you think of me?"

Sarah was baffled by his sudden change of topic. "What do you mean? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question. What do you think of me?"

"I think…"Sarah hesitated. Truthfully at this moment she wasn't sure what she thought of Jareth. He wasn't the evil she thought he was but she didn't know exactly **what** he was. What did she know about him?

"Come now, Sarah. Surely you must think **something** of me" Jareth said mockingly. "Am I cute? Am I ugly? Do you think I'm evil? Mean? A jerk? Insane? Arrogant?" He smirked at her. "Sexy?"

Sarah blushed at that one. "If those are my choices…then I'd have to say…a jerk."

Jareth clutched his chest like he was holding a deep wound. "That hurt, Sarah. Do you really think I'm a jerk?"

Sarah didn't but she wasn't about to admit that. Especially to his face.

"Well I disagree. I would say…sexy. Yes, definitely sexy."

"Of course you would" Sarah said rolling her eyes.

"What can I say. When you've got it, you've got it. And I've got it."

"Delusions of grandeur maybe."

"Ah but they're not delusions if they're true" he shot back. "And they **are** true" he said before Sarah could make another comeback.

"Whatever" was Sarah's reply.

"As delightful as this conversation's been, Higgins is wanting your attention. Come back soon, Sarah" Jareth said as he waved his fingers at her.

Before she had time to reply Sarah found herself back in the Labyrinth leaning against a tree. Hoggle was beside her shaking her shoulder.

"Time's up. We need to move" Hoggle said as he stood up and waited for Sarah.

"Okay, Higgins. I'm up" Sarah replied as she stood up and stretched.

Hoggle shot her an offended look. "**Hoggle!**"

Sarah looked at him puzzled. "What?"

"You called me Higgins" was his angry reply.

"Oh" was all Sarah could think to answer. "I'm sorry, Hoggle. I must have still been half asleep and automatically called you what Jareth did."

"Jareth?" Hoggle asked as his eyebrows shot up.

"Later. We need to get moving, remember?" Sarah said as she tried to stall that conversation. She wasn't sure what was up with her dreams but she wasn't ready to talk about them yet.

"Right. Later. Tonight" was Hoggle's answer.

* * *

Well there's the next chapter. You can think Kira the Wolf for the quick update. Their review amused me so much that I just had to write the next chapter per their "request."

This chapter doesn't seem that long but do you realize it was three pages on Word? This whole story is at 56 pages so far.

I actually had a different conversation planned but Jareth derailed it and when I tried to get it back on track he derailed it again. He just didn't feel like getting into a big argument with Sarah at this time. I guess that conversation will have to wait for another dream.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sarah followed Hoggle deeper into the forest. The last time she was here she had been running to keep her head so she hadn't paid too much attention to the scenery. From what she could see it all looked the same so she hadn't missed much.

Growing bored Sarah began to ponder what Jareth could have meant. _How was that fog created by my refusal to see whatever it is that I'm missing? I know I'm stubborn but I'm not** that**__ stubborn, am I? I wouldn't block something out just because I don't want to see it, would I? Jareth seems to think so._

Deciding another opinion would clear her confusion Sarah turned her focus to Hoggle. "Hoggle, do you think I'm stubborn?"

Hoggle started in surprise at the unexpected question. "Eh…what?"

"Do you think I'm stubborn? I mean 'block out anything I don't like' stubborn."

"Wh-what are you talking about? Who put that idea into your head?" a nervous Hoggle asked as his eyes darted from side to side looking for a distraction. Unfortunately none was to be found.

"I'm serious, Hoggle. I need to know your true opinion. It's important" Sarah pleaded with him.

Hoggle sighed in defeat. "Well…if you really don't want to know than…it's possible. You're very strong willed, Sarah. If you don't want to do something than you wont."

Sarah was shocked. She had no idea she was that bad. She knew she could dig her feet in and resist but she didn't think it went that far.

_So then what do I not want to see? It's something to do with Jareth, that much I know. But what is it?_

"Hoggle, what do you think of Jareth?"

Hoggle jumped when she started speaking again. He still seemed pretty nervous after her question. It's not like she was mad at him. She asked him to be honest and he was. It just stung a little.

"Um…about what part of him?"

"What do you mean?" a confused Sarah shook her head.

"Jareth the man or Jareth the king?"

"There's a difference?"

"Of course. Every king is also a man. Sometimes they have to be a king and sometimes they can just be a man" was Hoggle's wise reply.

"Both then."

"As a king, I respect him. As a man he drives me crazy."

"Why the difference?"

"As a king he makes many wise and beneficial decisions for his subjects. He's a great and merciful king. As a man, his actions could be smarter."

"So as your king, you like him but as a man, you think he's stupid."

"Not stupid. Ignorant. Jareth doesn't really know how to interact with most people. He knows how to play politics and how to be a king but that's about it. He got tired of all the groupies and lap dogs that latch onto those with power and began to avoid most of society. Because of that he doesn't know how to have a normal relationship with people. The interaction he has is ruler to ruler or king and subject. Which is why he made such a mess of the situation with you."

"Because I'm not a queen?" Sarah asked.

"Because you don't fit into either situation. You're not royalty but you're not his subject either. He didn't know if he should try to bribe or threaten you so he did both. At times he treated you as an equal while others he acted like you were beneath him. You confused him, Sarah. That's why I said he's ignorant. He doesn't know what a normal relationship is or how to handle one. Even family relationships is beyond his experience."

A light bulb seemed to go off in Sarah's head. "He wasn't deliberately treating me that way. He was acting the only ways he knew how."

"Exactly. It was his own bumbling attempt to try to establish a relationship with you. Granted he went about it all wrong but he's never known any better."

"So as a man, do you think he's a good one?"

"Good all depends on perspective. Many people, if they saw him kick a goblin, would think he was a bad person. Do the goblins? No."

"That didn't answer my question."

"Do I think he's bad? No. Do I think he's always good? No. But I think he has more good moments than bad. Based on the things I've seen of Jareth I do think he's a good man. An irritating one but a good one. He's just got a twisted sense of humor half the time."

"Why do you think he's good?"

Hoggle gave a aggravated sigh. "Sarah, are you intent on seeing Jareth in a bad light?"

"What? Of course not!" Sarah exclaimed in shock.

"Well it seems like it. You keep asking about Jareth and then doubting when I say something good about him."

"Well I'm not! I just don't know Jareth."

"Well I do. He isn't perfect but he's done a lot for those of us who live in the Labyrinth."

"Like what?"

"How about I tell you when you tell me about Jareth."

"What? But…"

"That's not fair?" Hoggle asked as he looked at her with a smile.

Sarah stuck her tongue out at him at that. After giving a huff of frustration, Sarah agreed. "I really don't know what's going on. Ever since I re-entered the Labyrinth I keep dreaming about Jareth. It doesn't make any sense. I can't see anything because there's this thick fog everywhere. The only thing I **can** see is Jareth when he joins me. It's not like any of the conversations we've had in the past. It's totally new and different. We're not arguing or anything. It actually seems…friendly, I guess. Anyway last time Jareth said the fog in my dreams is caused by my refusal to see whatever it's hiding. I don't understand. What don't I want to see?"

Hoggle had a thoughtful look on his face as he listened to her. "I see."

Sarah waited for a few seconds. "That's it? That's seriously it? That's all you have to say?"

"Well I'm not the smartest creature out there or the most magical." Sarah opened her mouth to interrupt but was stopped by Hoggle continuing. "**But** if I had to take a guess I would say you weren't dreaming. At least not exactly. You may not be awake anymore but you're not exactly asleep. I guess it could be considered similar to astral projection. Your body is left in a sleep like state while your mind travels somewhere else. Your presence probably draws Jareth's spirit. So you really are having a conversation with him. I would guess. As I said, I'm not the most magical creature. Dwarf magic is tied in with forging not mystical mumbo jumbo."

Sarah contemplated that information. She'd never thought that their conversations were really happening. If Hoggle was right. But he was more knowledgeable about magic than she was. If it was real then why was Jareth so different than the first time she met him? What changed him?

"Now for my part of the deal" Hoggle said interrupting her train of thought. "I would advise you to have a serious talk with Jareth the next time you two…meet. Ask him why he created the Goblin Kingdom and who his subjects are. He can explain his reasons. I can only guess. That will give you a good idea of what type of man he is."

"Aren't his subjects the goblins?" Sarah asked.

"More creatures live in the Labyrinth then just the goblins, Sarah. You know that."

Sarah did but she'd pretty much ignored the fact considering it was called the **Goblin **Kingdom.

"Now lets get out of this forest" Hoggle continued. "You remember that wall you had to scale to get away from the Fireys? Jareth put that up so they couldn't get out unless they were let out. They get on his nerves. They always insult his clothes and say he should wear orange. Plus they're pyromaniacs and if they're trapped in here than the most they can burn down is the forest. Before he built that wall they once set his throne on fire. No one's sure how they got it to burn but Jareth wasn't happy. He declared them a menace and banished them from his presence."

"That doesn't seem all that good."

"You've met them. Does it seem like they care? Now back to that wall. It completely encloses Firey Forest. The only way out is to climb a ivy ladder. It looks pretty much like any other ivy vine so the Firey's don't notice and escape. They have short attention spans so even if they know it's there they don't look too hard."

"So how do we find it?"

"It's near a big weed patch."

Sarah paused at that phrase but decided that he couldn't mean the type of weed that came to mind. _He must mean weed as in unwanted plants._

Walking along the wall for a few minutes they came to the weedy patch of plants that marked where the ladder should be. After searching around for a few more minutes they finally found the right vine.

"Ladies first" Hoggle said as he motioned to the vine.

"Hoggle, what a gentleman" Sarah teased as she got a good grip on the ivy and carefully put her foot on the first rung. Testing to be sure it would hold her weight, she pulled herself up to the next one and felt around with her foot until she felt the rung catch and hold. Continuing upwards she warily tested each rung to ensure that it wouldn't break under her weight. The process took a few more minutes but they weren't in a hurry at the moment. Reaching the top she pulled herself over and looked down to watch as Hoggle climbed. His climb was faster as he was already sure the ladder would hold. Within seconds he was beside her and dusting his pants off.

"Ready?"

* * *

This chapter's done though I may go back and redo that last paragraph about the ivy. Now for those of you wondering, the fog in Sarah's 'dreams' isn't related to the fog in the Labyrinth. She's not causing the real fog. Sarah doesn't have any magic so she wouldn't have a way to cause it. Don't you kinda feel sorry for Jareth now after this chapter? He just doesn't know how to interact with others. I wasn't actually thinking of hemp when I came up with the weed patch part. I was thinking about Jareth's view of the Fireys. A weed is a useless plant and they always seem to thrive even when you don't want them to. Jareth doesn't have much use for the Fireys. But than again I think I could see the Fireys using weed. That 70's Show just comes to mind. Maybe I really should make it a hemp patch. What do you think? Do you think I'm making Sarah too dense? I don't know all that much about astral projection so if that's wrong you're going to have to forgive me.

pinkflora-well I don't know if it's normal or not but my dad can fall asleep within a few minutes of laying somewhere. I wish I knew how he did it.

For any spelling or grammar mistakes, sorry. I inherited my bad spelling from my dad's side of the family and as for grammar, I just never paid the most attention in English class. I was more into literature.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Glancing around from the top of the wall Sarah was shocked to see a desert on the opposite side of the wall. Looking back at the side with the Firey Forest she didn't see any sign of a desert being beside it. No sand, no brown and dried up plants, not even any wilting from heat. Now that she noticed she didn't feel the heat usually imagined to go with a desert. It was strange. She could see the distortion caused by the heat when she looked over the desert but she didn't feel it. Staring at the wavering dunes Sarah told Hoggle there was something wrong with it.

A puzzled Hoggle looked it over before looking back at Sarah. "It looks fine to me."

"There's no heat. It's a desert. It's supposed to be baking. Or at least it would where I come from."

A look of understanding came over Hoggle's face. "You're not in it yet. This wall is actually part of the Firey Forest. Magic separates the different areas. It keeps the heat and sand in the desert and the plants in the forest. Once we pass into the Desert of Dunes you'll feel it" he assured her.

Not actually looking forward to the scorching heat and whatever weird way of entering the desert, Sarah warily asked how they get into it. "Do we just jump down? Or is there another trap door that drops us into it?"

"Do you really think Jareth would use the same trick twice?" Hoggle asked as he arched an eyebrow at her.

Thinking about Jareth's flair and dramatics Sarah could only come up with one answer. "No."

"Good answer. Maybe you know Jareth better than I thought. Come on" Hoggle waved her after him as he walked to the opposite edge of the wall and waited.

Soon enough Sarah could see what he was waiting on. The dunes seemed to ripple as a small wave of sand spread out in the distance and started heading for the wall at a high speed, growing bigger as it approached. Just when Sarah was afraid it was going to crash into the wall, the wave suddenly stopped right at the edge. The wave of sand had grown to the same height as the wall making it just a step from wall to sand.

Hoggle stepped from stone to sand then slid down the gritty hill, grains of sand scattering in his wake leaving a furrow behind him. After coming to a halt he stood and dusted himself off again before turning to Sarah and waving her to come. As he waited for Sarah to join him he idly shook each foot trying to get rid of the sand that had found its way into his shoes.

Sarah watched in amusement. It was amazing how often Jareth used slides in the Labyrinth even if they never were ordinary slides. She was surprised he didn't have a water slide into the Bog. Or maybe it would be a bog slide. While the trap door had dropped them at the Bog it didn't lead directly into the boggy waters. Thankfully.

Shaking her head to clear it of her wandering thoughts Sarah smiled as shestepped onto the sand and sat down. Pushing forward with her hands she slowly slid down the dune, creating a deeper furrow than Hoggle had. Standing up she wiped the dust from her pants.

"Where are we now?" Sarah asked as she looked around. Not even a cactus grew in this dry sand and heat.

"This is the Desert of Desertion." Seeing the 'are you kidding me' look on Sarah's face he explained the name. "Jareth likes having fun with naming things appropriately but with flair. Do you wanna make a guess on how many times Firey Forest has went up in a fiery blaze? Unfortunately those pyros are like cockroaches. They can survive anything. This place is a desert and pretty much empty of all life, hence the desertion part. Not even a cactus or scorpion would wanna live here."

"Then why create it?" Sarah asked.

"What's a labyrinth without a sand trap? A pretty maze. This place is supposed to test you and push you to your limits. Some people do better in forests, some do better in deserts. Personally I prefer the forests," Hoggle answered as he wiped sweat from his brow. They hadn't even started through the desert and already the heat was getting unbearable. "Come on. Lets go before we start seeing those mirage things."

Readily agree Sarah quickly followed Hoggle out into the endless sand. _At least I don't have to worry about being attacked by anything. Well besides that fog if it catches up to us._ Sarah shivered despite the heat as she thought of the eerie phenomenon. It wasn't like any fog she'd ever seen. Of course, most of the things in the Labyrinth was like nothing she'd ever seen.

Turning her mind away from the disquieting thoughts, she focused on the one companion she had on this journey. "How long will it take us to get through this part?"

Hoggle glanced behind him. "Depends. Could be a few hours, could be a day."

"How is that possible? There shouldn't be that much of a difference in getting across."

"Anything is possible here. Well just about. There are a few absolutes. Goblins will always be dumb, Fireys will always cause fires, and if you see an owl, it's not really an owl."

Sarah sighed. "Just great. These shoes were meant for sand."

Hoggle snorted in amusement. "No one's ever prepared for the Labyrinth. That's part of the challenge. You go as you are with only what's on you. If you had time to prepare then it wouldn't be as hard and Jareth wouldn't have as much fun."

"I don't consider this fun," Sarah griped.

"You did at one point in your life," Hoggle pointed out.

"Yeah when I was a teenager. I'm an adult now."

"And yet you still play dress up and run around reading lines from a story."

"That's different! That's my job!" Sarah defended.

"Which you chose. You haven't changed that much Sarah. You still believe in magic, you still want to think of Jareth as the bad guy, you still have that stubborn streak that makes you ignore what you don't want to see."

"It's hard not to believe in magic when I've seen this place. And Jareth...isn't as bad as I thought he was. And I'm not stubborn! I'm determined. There's a difference," Sarah argued.

Hoggle snorted at that.

The duo trudged on through the blistering heat and sand as time passed. _Nothing is happening, _Sarah thought as she wiped her brow, _aside from me sweating away any extra fat I had. This is nothing like my first time. This place really is dead. I'm bored out of my mind. The scenery's all the same whichever direction I look and I've already about drove Hoggle insane with my game of twenty questions. I don't think his eye is going to stop twitching any time soon_. Sarah glanced at her companion. _Nope, still twitching._

Sarah had to stifle a giggle. She hadn't meant to irritate Hoggle so much with all her questions but there was nothing to do. Risking a glance at her silent guide, a snicker escaped her before she could contain it. Hoggle's head whipped around at the sound and the glare he gave her could have melted stone. Trying to appear contrite, Sarah lowered her head to look at the ground. Hoggle gave a huff as he turned to face forward again.

Sarah just about ran into him when he suddenly came to a stop with no warning.

"There's the end" Hoggle informed her as he raised his hand to point off into the distance. A muttered "Finally" was heard which Sarah ignored.

She peered where he was pointing and had to squint to see what he was talking about. She could barely make out a dark line off in the distance.

"Well what are we waiting for? Come on, Hoggle!", she cheerily said as she started forward. She had to smother another snicker as she heard Hoggle grumbling under his breath and saw his eyebrow start to twitch again.

* * *

So here's the latest chapter. I thought I better get one out before everyone forgot about this story. Deserts just aren't that interesting to write. I really wanted them to get through the desert fast because that's just no place to stop for a rest and have a nice dream. Plus, in the desert, aren't you supposed to travel during the day even though it seems like it would make more sense to travel at night?


End file.
